Layers of Secrets
by bloghey131313
Summary: Georg needs to get a file from the Nazis in order to protect Maria as well as avoid joining them; the only way he can do that is if he and Maria go to a military ball, pretending to be together. The consequences are unimaginable.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

I've had this idea for forever (and have been reading fanfiction forever…and have been watching the Sound of Music for forever) and finally gathered up the courage to write this story. Hope you guys like it!

About this story:

~After the Laendler, Elsa realized that Maria and Georg were meant to be and so she politely returned to Vienna and broke off her relationship with Georg

~This story takes place about a week after the Laendler (Maria never left for the abbey because the Baroness never confronted her)~

This chapter is mostly just intro + exposition, so I'm sorry if it's a little boring. The good stuff starts soon, don't worry (:

-TSOM-

Maria was just about to leave Gretl and Marta's room after tucking them in and saying goodnight when Gretl spoke up through the darkness in almost a whisper, "Fraulein Maria?"

"Yes, Gretl?"

"Is Father ever coming back?"

Maria's heart sank. "Yes, darling! He should be back any day now. He didn't want to leave but the meeting he had in Berlin was extremely important. Don't worry, Gretl. All we can do is sleep through the night. The longer we sleep, the less time it will be until your father comes back home."

"Oh!" Gretl realized. "Thanks Fraulein Maria! Good night!"

"Good night, Gretl. Good night, Marta."

Maria quietly walked out into the hallway, slowly closing their bedroom door behind them. After all the other children were in bed, Maria went back to her bedroom, thinking about the Captain. Gretl was right. He had said he would only be gone for 5 days, and it had already been 8 days.

Maybe his train was delayed. For three days, though? Or, maybe the meeting went longer than expected. Maria's thoughts made a turn for the worst as she realized with a start that he could be seriously injured. Oh God, was he injured? Did he get in a car crash? Was he dead? Maria shook her head, trying to force the ominous thoughts out. She opened her bedroom door and closed it behind her, taking off her dress and looking through her closet for her nightgown.

While her thoughts were still on the Captain's whereabouts, Maria's mind wandered to the Captain himself, who she found herself increasingly thinking about each night. As naïve and innocent as she was, Maria couldn't help herself in finding the Captain extremely attractive. She couldn't help the light blush that spread over her cheeks every time he looked at her with those intense, deep bright blue eyes.

The Captain had left for his meeting in Berlin the day after the party, not giving the two of them much time to assess their feelings together. Not that they ever would, Maria realized bitterly. He probably never thought about her, and if he did, it was most likely about how she was doing her job with his children. The dance was clearly just a nice gesture to show his thanks for taking care of his children.

"Well, a girl can dream," Maria sighed to herself, and allowed herself for a second to think about how his lips would feel against hers if he had leaned forward just slightly during the Laendler. Nor could she stop thinking about his arms, and how she had felt in them, and maybe how she would feel in them in a situation involving less clothing. Maria scolded herself for thinking these thoughts, knowing the Reverend Mother would not approve, and reminding herself that she was going to be a nun.

Jolting herself back to the present, Maria looked through her closet, still not able to find her nightgown. She huffed in annoyance, and turned around. Her nightgown was sitting on the chair on the other side of the bed where she had put it the night before. Before she had time to walk over to put it on, her door slammed open.

Maria looked for something to cover herself with, but her dress was hanging in the closet, and her nightgown was on the other side of the room, so she was left, just standing there in shock, in only her slip.

In the doorframe, and quickly moving through it into her room, was none other than the Captain himself.

Maria yelled, "Captain!? What are you doing? You're home!" She didn't have time to say anything else because he was striding towards her, and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of her room.

"Maria, you have to get out of this room. Now." The Captain shouted. He dragged her out of her room, closing the door behind him with his foot.

"What?! No, I'm staying! You have no right to barge into my room and drag me out of it!"

The Captain stopped abruptly in the hallway, nearly causing her to run right into him, "Fraulein, do as I say. Do not make me pick you up and carry you to my study."

Maria's heart skipped a beat. "Your study?! Captain, are you alright? Are you drunk? Can I please go back to my room? Can I at least put on a dress?"

At Maria's last words, the Captain seemed to realize what he had done, and let go of Maria's hand. He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, his chest heaving and forehead glistening. He took off his suit coat and handed it to Maria, desperately trying to keep his eyes on her face and not let them travel down her body. "Here, put this on. But I can't let you go back into your room just yet. And no, I have not had an ounce of alcohol tonight. I'll explain everything to you in my study."

Maria put on the Captain's black suit coat, restraining herself from crouching down and covering her entire body with it so she could get lost in his smell and feel safe forever. How a certain piece of clothing could make her feel so safe, she didn't know.

Instead, Maria just wrapped the coat around her body and put a hand on the Captain's shoulder, saying, "Okay. I want to hear your explanation of what warranted you coming into my room and pulling me out of it without telling me why or even knocking on the door first!" Maria's voice rose in pitch, frustrated with the Captain.

He stood up straight, looked her in the eye, and nodded, feeling a wave of possessiveness hit him, seeing Maria in his jacket. He looked away quickly and they continued walking towards his study.

They reached his study, and the Captain pushed open the wooden door. Maria walked in behind him, and he closed the door. Once the door was closed, and Maria was seated in a seat in front of the Captain's large wooden desk, he remained standing, and paced back and forth behind his desk.

He paced for a few seconds, and then absolutely erupted. There was no other word for it, Maria thought, as he shouted, "They've been in my house! They've been watching us! Good God, they've been in your room! They've been watching you!"

Maria's face turned from confused to stricken after the Captain's rant.

She stood up in front of him. "Captain, slow down." His eyes looked wild and he ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "Captain, look at me." He focused his eyes on Maria's, and returned his breathing back to normal. "Please, Captain, explain. What do you mean, who is 'they'?"

The Captain sat on top of his desk in front of Maria's chair, a few feet away from her.

"Okay. Please forgive me Fraulein. You're right, I had no right to come into your room and grab you like that, and I apologize."

"I forgive you, Captain. I know you were distraught."

The Captain scoffed. "Distraught is an understatement. I have always been one step ahead of the Nazis, and in Berlin, I found out that I'm the one who has been fooled, and they are the ones who are now steps ahead of me."

He continued, anger still underlying his tone, "The 'they' I was referring to is a particular sect of the Nazi party. They can do whatever they want to get whatever or whomever they want, and they are so secretive that no one knows about them except Hitler and some other selective Nazis. They call themselves the Bände."

The Captain took a deep breath, still tensely clenching his fists at his sides, and said, "The Bände has installed cameras in my house and they have been watching us for a little over a week now."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

Thanks so much for the reviews! It's so nice to get feedback! My account is being weird, though, and I can't access them (I can only see them through my email) and I can't reply normally – is this happening to you guys?

Also, I forgot to add that the soundtrack for this story if you guys like that sort of thing is the entire Gadfly Suite by Shostakovich.

Anyway, here's the next update! I know there's a lot of dialogue, and I'm sorry, but all the info needs to get out there so that the rest of the story can flow.

-TSOM-

 _The Captain took a deep breath, still tensely clenching his fists at his sides, and said, "The Bände has installed cameras in my house and they have been watching us for a little over a week now."_

Maria's jaw dropped. "I don't believe it." Now she was the one to stand up. "Why on earth would they do that? _How_ on earth could they do that without anyone knowing?"

"I have no idea. The thought that they were in my house –" the Captain couldn't even finish. "And I was gone for most of the time which means they have been watching you and my children!"

Maria was frozen to her spot in shock until the Captain spoke up again.

"I do, however, know _why_. When I was in Berlin, it was actually because I was meeting with Herr Zeller to discuss their request that I join their forces in Bremerhaven."

"Captain!" Maria cried. There was no way they could take him. There was no way he could leave his children.

"Don't worry, I won't accept their request, although it was not an optional request. I have a plan. After I met with Herr Zeller, I met in secret with a man who will help me. His name is Fritz Kolner. He is a Nazi but only because he was forced into his position. He has done an exceptional job because he has been able to show the Nazis his loyalty at the same time as secretly informing me of all their plans."

Maria looked up in hope at the Captain.

He explained, "I saved Fritz's life when we served together in the navy many years ago, and he has felt forever indebted to me." He couldn't help but feel a surge of pride, especially as he caught Maria's eyes shining with admiration, even if it was for a moment before being replaced with worry.

"Fritz is the one who told me of the Bände and their camera installations. I hurried home as soon as I could, but the ten hour train ride from Berlin back to Salzburg was agonizingly slow."

Maria interjected, "So, we have an inside connection. That's good, but why would the Bände be watching us when you haven't even rejected the Nazis' commission?"

"They think I won't take the commission, for one thing, because they know how loyal I am to Austria. Unfortunately, I have made it quite clear that I don't agree with the Nazi ideals."

"They want to cause me as much pain as they can because I have apparently waited too long to join them. Also, they think I will never join them. According to Fritz, they are under the impression that you and I are, uh," he motioned vaguely, and Maria's face turned pink, "…together." The Captain couldn't meet Maria's eyes, and he rubbed his fingers together in agitation.

Maria must have looked confused because the Captain followed up with, "Well, a young, attractive woman coming to live in the house of an unattached man such as myself is the perfect situation for them to assume so. Herr Zeller also apparently saw us dancing the Laendler at the party, and that was his main evidence. Edelweiss didn't help either." Maria's stomach flipped at his words, and she just wrapped the Captain's suit coat tighter around her body.

The Captain cleared his throat and kept going. "For the reason that you are now associated with me, you have become a target. They plan to take you because they think it will cause me pain and I will join them out of desperation. Neither Fritz nor I know when, but they will attempt to kidnap you sometime before Monday. I am expected to be at Bremerhaven on Monday."

Maria felt sick, and sank back down into her chair. "That's a week from today!" she exclaimed.

"I know. We have a lot to do and figure out in that amount of time. The cameras are in your room and in the hallways to obviously monitor what you and I are doing and also to most likely see the best time to take you, which will most likely be at night when no one is expecting it and everyone is asleep."

Before Maria could comment, the Captain said, "I'm sorry, Maria. It's all my fault, and I hate myself for having you put in this position."

Maria leaned forward, "No, Captain, God brought me here, and since he put me here during this time, it is clearly to help you and your children. I'll do anything. The children need their father."

The Captain muttered, "They need you too."

Maria's heart swelled. "Yes, which is why we _have_ to do everything we possibly can to avoid my kidnapping and your transferal to Bremerhaven."

The Captain looked intensely at her, not having expected such a strong, determined reaction. Although this was Maria, of course she would react as she did.

"Thank you, Fraulein. I know you may not really like what I'm going to say next, but know that it is for your safety."

Maria bit her lip, and nodded for him to continue.

"I'm going to have to keep an eye on you at all times, especially at night."

Maria's eyes widened.

"Therefore you are going to sleep in my room, and –"

"Oh help," Maria said under her breath, but the Captain must have caught it or at least understood her apprehension, for he said, "Don't worry, I'll sleep on the floor and you can have the bed. I assure you I have no intention of violating you. It's the only way they won't take you."

"I know it's not optimal, but it's better than you sleeping in one of their rooms, being abused and violated by those men," the Captain spat out, knuckles white from gripping the edge of the desk.

Maria couldn't even process his words any more. This all felt so unreal, and she was sure she would wake up in the morning to find that it had only been a dream.

"It just doesn't feel real," Maria admitted out loud. "I-I just never in my wildest dreams ever thought this could happen, and I just want the children to be safe. They deserve so much more that what could happen if both of us were taken from them."

He nodded, sighing.

Maria organized her thoughts for a minute before saying, "It seems like there's no way out. I mean, so you keep _me_ safe until Monday, but then what happens? They're never going to just accept the fact that you won't join them. They'll come for you!"

The Captain was shocked Maria wasn't more hysterical. Most women he knew would completely shut down in this type of situation. _I am so lucky to have her as a partner…I mean, my children's governess,_ the Captain thought.

"That's where Fritz comes back into the picture. He told me they have a new file on me, you, and the children. It has information that holds the passwords and locations of the large data pad that could shut down all the cameras. We need to do this so that we can disable the cameras and then pack and escape for America without them knowing on Monday. That is the plan, Maria, to escape to America on Monday. It's the only way they won't find us and force us to do horrible things."

"America?!" Maria held her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry for just throwing all this information at you at once, Fraulein."

"Yes, it's deplorable!"

"Well, it's necessary, Fraulein!" the Captain countered.

"I don't care! You have barged into my room, dragged me out of it, told me that I need to sleep in your room for the next week, and now completely uproot my life to go with you to an entirely different continent! All within the past hours!"

"Fine! You know what, Fraulein? I'll just leave you here, and you'll be taken by the Nazis, raped, and then killed when they're done with you. The children will never recover, and I'll, I'll never forgive myself because it is all my goddamn fault!"

Maria blinked repeatedly, trying to keep the tears back. When a couple tears finally spilled over, she hastily wiped them with the back of the captain's suit coat sleeve.

"Fraulein, I just want to…I just, I have 7 lives for which I am responsible, and I can't let them, I can't leave them. Because I put you in this position, it is also my responsibility to protect you and save your life. The measures I am taking are, yes, drastic but they are also necessary for the children's wellbeing and your safety."

"Okay. No, I understand Captain, I really do. It's just a lot to take in," Maria said shakily.

"I know. I didn't handle the information very well at first either. I had the entire train ride to figure out what to do. I can give you the night to sleep on it and we can talk in the morning," the Captain tried to reason.

Maria tried to take deep breaths before answering. "No. I want to hear everything you have to say before going to sleep."

"Okay," the Captain looked at Maria and kept going.

"Going back to the issue with the file: Fritz can usually access the files on me and make them mysteriously disappear which is why they haven't come for me sooner. However, this new file that is located in another place. Fritz can't access this place because it is in a guarded, locked room that also contains secret files for the Nazis. The room is in the top of Captain Bodor's home. He is perhaps one of the most powerful people involved with the Nazis. The security there is unprecedented, and Fritz cannot access it."

"The only chance we have is to get the file ourselves."

"Captain," Maria sighed in exasperation, "You just said that their security is state-of-the-art and there is no way-"

The Captain interrupted her, saying, "No, Maria, there is a way."

Maria crossed her arms and looked at him incredulously.

"It just so happens that Captain Bodor hosts the annual military ball for all of Germany and Austria, for current military and navy members and also retired ones. And, it just so happens that that ball is occurring this Saturday. If we go to this military ball, we can get that file that they have on me and they won't know where to find me," Georg explained to Maria.

"What do you mean, we?" Maria asked, suspicion heavy in her voice.

"Well. I haven't gone to this ball since, uh, since Agathe died. They'll be suspicious if I show up alone for the first time in many years. If I bring you, they can't take you while you are alone at the house. You can also help me get the file. It's going to be difficult, so it's definitely going to be a two-person job."

"Okay."

"Is that an agreement or an acknowledgment that I have a plan?" the Captain asked, hoping to God she would agree, and extremely surprised that she simply said okay.

"No, I agree. I'll go with you. It's actually not a bad plan, but I'm going to need a lot more details. Can't we discuss the details in the morning?" Maria asked, looking at the clock – it was already almost midnight.

"Yes of course," the Captain said, relieved that she could actually help him pull this off.

"And about America, that's too big of a decision to make at midnight ten minutes after having been told that it is necessary for my safety. I need to talk to the Reverend Mother tomorrow. Moving to America would mean that I would have to find a completely new convent and…it's complicated."

"I understand, Fraulein. Thank you."

Maria stood up, yawning. "I am exhausted, though. I'm going to bed."

The Captain stood up straighter as well, and opened the study door for her. "I'll walk you to your room, why don't you grab your nightwear and clothes for tomorrow?"

Maria stopped dead in her tracks. She had completely forgotten that she had to sleep in the Captain's bedroom.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," she muttered.

The Captain's step faltered, but he kept going and Maria followed.

After Maria grabbed her nightgown, her dress, her undergarments, and toiletries for the night and the next day, she walked with the Captain down to the master bedroom.

The Captain tried desperately to think of something to say to relieve the tension between the two of them, but nothing, not a single thing, came to mind.

Maria was doing the same thing, and came up with, "How are we going to inform the children?"

The Captain, grateful for some light conversation whether he expressed it or not, replied, "I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet." Silence fell between them again, and they finally reached the Captain's bedroom door. He walked in, and Maria was right behind him.

"What if the staff finds out I've been sleeping in your room? What if the children find out?" Maria asked all of a sudden.

"Oh, to hell with what the staff thinks. We'll be gone in a week anyway. If the children find out, we'll simply tell them the truth."

"Alright," Maria answered, too tired to argue with him any longer.

She looked around his room.

It was a large room. It had dark gray walls with a large wooden four-poster, king-sized bed in the middle of the room that was covered in a lighter gray bedspread. He had a bookshelf in the left side of his room next to a window (which she couldn't see out of because of the dark), and an armoire in front of the bed. There was a couch by the bookshelf under the window. To the right of the room was a door, which he was moving to open. He did so, and Maria peered inside. It was the bathroom.

The Captain opened the door, and told Maria, "Here, take the bathroom to get ready. I'll set up a bed on the floor."

Maria could only nod, but she found her voice in a second. "Thank you, Captain."

He just looked at her and gave a slight nod.

Maria took off his suit coat and her slip and put on her nightgown. His bathroom was so nice and luxurious, but it felt so intimate. She had trouble breathing as she realized this would be would it would be like to be married, to live with the Captain, as she brushed her teeth over the counter that held his razor and toothbrush and other things.

Maria went back into the bedroom, slipping into the bed, after she gave him his suit coat back. He said good night Fraulein, and she said good night back. He turned off the lights and went into the bathroom to change into his pajamas. Just before he turned off the lights, though, Maria gasped. The ceiling was, well, it wasn't a ceiling. It was one giant mirror.


	3. Tuesday Morning

Tuesday Morning

Maria woke up slowly, halfway opening her eyes. She felt different, and it smelled like the Captain. _What?_ Oh, that's right. It all came crashing back to her. _Oh dear God, I slept where he sleeps every night. I'm sleeping in his bed._ All of a sudden, she was able to process everything that had happened. She must have fallen asleep the minute she hit the pillow last night. She glanced at the grandfather clock by the bathroom door which said it was only 6 AM, so she was about to go back to sleep for another hour until she caught sight of the Captain.

All thoughts of sleep went completely out the door. The Captain was standing at the other side of the room by the couch, which he had obviously slept on, because there was a rumpled blanket over the cushions. Every inch of Maria felt awake, though, because the Captain was facing the window, and clearly was getting dressed. He obviously had just showered because his hair was wet, and he was already in grey dress pants. The only thing missing was a shirt.

Maria's mouth went dry as she watched the muscles on his back and how they moved as he bent over to pick up his undershirt. He slipped it on and then buttoned his dress shirt, and turned around.

Maria must not have closed her eyes quickly enough, because the Captain said, "Fraulein?" and she opened her eyes guiltily to find a smirk on his face. _Uggh, he knew she was watching._ "I didn't mean to wake you." _Oh no, his voice was deep and husky and this man was going to be the end of her, she knew it._ She tried to talk but her voice failed her. "I-I just woke up. Don't worry, you didn't wake me."

"Well, you could go back to bed. It'll still be another hour before the children have to get up and I know we had a late night last night."

Maria couldn't help it as her mind went right to a vivid picture of how they could have been spending their late night instead of how they actually spent it.

The Captain obviously knew what he had done, and he had the audacity to wink at her!

Maria thought her heart was going to give out, this man was so attractive.

He turned back around and picked up the blanket, folding it over the couch. Maria looked up and remembered what she was going to ask the Captain before sleep overtook her the previous night.

"Captain?"

"Yes?" Before she could ask her question, the Captain said, "We're going to be spending quite a bit of time together over the next week, I think it's alright to call each other by our given names, don't you?"

Maria nodded slowly. "Yes, I suppose so. Anyway, I was going to ask you why is there a mirror instead of a ceiling?"

The Captain looked up for a second and explained, "Oh, I had that installed when we first moved in to the house. I was in trouble with a small mob who decided they wanted to attack me. We hadn't installed security measures yet, and I was paranoid, so I installed the mirror so I could see every corner of the room. Eh, I was young and impulsive, and my parents left me a lot of money. I thought it looked neat and I was under the impression it would keep me safe, and so here it is."

Maria nodded. She loved it.

She sat up. "I can't go back to sleep. I guess I'll get dressed. Could we talk more about the ball and everything after I take a shower before the children wake up?"

"Sure," the Captain nodded. He turned around and walked back to the armoire, and Maria headed for the bathroom.

She showered and got ready in 10 minutes, and met the Captain back in the bedroom.

They both sat down on the couch.

The Captain started with, "Honestly, there's not much more for me to tell you other than Fritz's cousin lives in Salzburg with his wife. Their names are Klara and Axel. They don't have any kids and very strongly oppose the Nazi force. Klara is a technological genius, and Axel knows a thing or two about defense. The two of them have agreed to come over and help us in the days up until the gala."

"Oh, that's great!"

"Mmhmm. We're meeting with them tonight at 9. Klara will help you pick out a dress tomorrow morning for the ball and Axel is going to train you and teach you a few good moves in the off chance that you do find yourself alone for a second and the Nazis try to take you. Klara has a plan for how we can get in to the room that holds the file in the Bodor house. She'll tell us the plan tonight and we'll have until Saturday to prepare."

"Wow. You've really thought this through." Maria was impressed.

"Yes, well, I had a long, long train ride, and a very long discussion with Fritz," the Captain replied.

It was only 6:30, and there was a bit of silence during which Maria and the Captain were deep in their own thoughts.

The Captain jerked up; he clearly just remembered something.

"What?" Maria asked.

"I have to show you this place before the children wake up! Come on!" the Captain grabbed her hand and they headed out the bedroom door with Maria once again wondering why this was happening and where they were headed.

"Captain, we still have half an hour before the children get up. Slow down," Maria requested as the Captain walked briskly down the hall and proceeded down the stairs.

He did as she asked, and they continued down the stairs. They finally reached the ballroom, and the Captain stopped in front of a certain spot in the wall.

"What are we doing, Captain?"

"Maria," Maria's heart skipped a beat as she heard him use her first name, "I thought we agreed to just use our given names, did we not?"

"Oh, I forgot!" she said.

He pulled out a key from his pocket and inserted it into a tiny hole that was barely noticeable in the ballroom wall, and a door swung open.

Maria gasped in shock.

"I have a secret…place…underneath the house. No one knows about it. I used to go here a lot after my wife died just to be away from everything. Now I come down here to work out – I installed a pool and have training mats and weights and things of the sort."

He led Maria down the stone steps, and turned on a light.

She looked around in awe. The walls were stone. It was a room about the size of two ballrooms, and there was a swimming pool to the left and on the right there were training mats, bars, weights, and black benches.

"This is where we can do everything to prepare for Saturday," the Captain said.


	4. Tuesday Evening

A/N:

A couple of you expressed concerns about the cameras since they don't make sense technologically in this time period. You're right, I wasn't really thinking about that. Thanks for pointing it out. It's an a/u story so let's just say this Bände group was technologically more advanced than the rest of the world ;)

Also, the link for what I think the mirror in the master suite looks like is in my bio. It is stylistic and classy, not tacky, etc.

Also, regarding updates: I have finals next week, so I can't make promises on soon updates. After finals, I'll try to give you all an update schedule. Since it might be a little while before the next update, here's a longer chapter (:

Tuesday Evening

Maria had woken the children up at 7 am after overcoming her shock – she had gone through enough shock for a lifetime, she thought. All had went well, and they had gone about life like it was normal. Frau Schmidt took care of the children for a couple hours over the lunch hour while the Captain accompanied Maria to Nonberg Abbey.

The Captain ran a few errands, and came back to pick Maria back up at 2:00.

Maria got into the car.

"How did it go?" the Captain anxiously asked. Maria's eyes were red and puffy.

"Okay. The Reverend Mother always knows how to calm me down and bring everything into perspective. She said you were right," Maria turned and looked into the Captain's eyes. "The right choice to make is to go the ball and, really the only choice I have is to go with your family to America. She helped me realize that maybe this is the reason God sent me to you. So that I could save your lives and you could save mine."

He waited for her to continue.

"She helped me make my final decision. I'll go with you to the ball and then to America."

"About a gallon of tears later, the Reverend Mother and I said our goodbyes, and I'm all set to leave after the ball. She gave me the name and location of two convents in New York that she recommends."

"Maria," his voice and eyes conveyed every feeling he couldn't express verbally, and it knocked the breath out of her.

They shared a moment of understanding, and Maria faced forward again, lightening the mood with a fist pump and, "Let's do this!"

The Captain chuckled, and started the car to head home.

-TSOM-

Maria worked with the children throughout the afternoon, ate dinner with the seven of them and the Captain, and put them all to bed.

Maria went to her room and grabbed some more clothes and kept them in a side of the closet that the Captain had designated for her. _I am never going to get over the fact that I am sharing a closet space and a bedroom with Captain Von Trapp,_ Maria thought to herself.

Meanwhile, the Captain sat in his study, thinking about Maria. _It is taking every single ounce of my self control not to climb into my bed with her and show her what it would be like to experience the passion I want her to experience._ Repeating his mantra that he had to tell himself more and more, the Captain thought _, She's going to be a nun, she's going to be a nun._ He snapped out of his thoughts to glance at the clock – it was five minutes to nine, and he walked briskly out of his study to the entry.

Maria walked down the stairs to meet him there as they awaited the arrival of Axel and Klara. Not even a minute later, there was a soft knock on the door, and the Captain hastily opened it. Two people in black coats stepped through the doorway without a word.

Both of them wore large hats that concealed their faces, and Maria didn't get a good look at them at all at first because the Captain quickly ushered them inside, closed the door, greeted them quietly, and led them to the secret floor.

Once the secret door was closed and the four of them had reached the bottom of the steps, the two people took off their hats. The woman embraced the Captain. "It's been too long, Georg," she said. "I know. It's good to see you, Klara." Axel shook his hand and the two greeted each other. The Captain introduced Maria to the both of them.

"Maria, this is Klara and Axel. Klara and Axel, this is Maria."

Maria was expecting Klara to shake her hand, but Klara went in for the embrace. "I'm a hugger, and I like you already just based on what little Georg has communicated to me about you!" Maria could tell she and Klara would get along well. Klara wore a genuine smile on her face. She was a beautiful woman, probably not much older than Maria. Maybe five years or so, Maria guessed. Klara looked a lot like Liesl. Her hair fell just to her shoulders in soft brown curls.

Maria turned to Axel as he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you." He kissed her hand. "You too," Maria responded.

Axel turned around, shedding his coat. He was wearing a white dress shirt and black dress pants, and he began rolling up his dress shirt sleeves. Axel was very handsome, Maria noticed right away. His dirty blonde hair was short and his muscles showed. He and Klara made such a picturesque couple.

Maria got to know the couple for a bit and then Axel spoke, "Let's get to business. This ball is on Saturday, correct?"

The Captain nodded.

"Okay. That gives us…three full days to figure everything out. Tonight I think we make a plan for the rest of the week and also determine how to get into the room that holds the file you need," Axel stated.

"Sounds good," Maria said.

The Captain began, "Why don't we sit down on the black benches by the training area?"

The four of them sat down on the black benches – Maria and Klara on one facing the Captain and Axel.

"Okay, so tomorrow I'll take Maria dress shopping in the morning, and we'll pick up something absolutely gorgeous," Klara said, her eyes twinkling, then turned to Maria. "If you get to go to such a fancy ball, might as well have a little fun while doing it, right?"

Maria laughed and nodded.

"I think it would be alright for Frau Schmidt to take care of the children a little more than usual this week. Clearly these circumstances are an exception to the norm," Maria said, looking at the Captain.

"Yes, they are. Don't worry, Maria," the Captain responded, a layer of kindness and compassion evident in his eyes and tone.

Klara looked between the two. She could tell something more was hidden behind each of their façades of being simply employer and employee. She couldn't quite tell what it was exactly, yet. Clearly they had become partners, whether they were going to acknowledge it or not. Whether or not there was romance involved, Klara didn't know yet but knew she would figure it out in the next few days.

Axel spoke up in a more serious manner, interrupting Klara's thoughts. "Klara and I brought the layout of the house that Fritz gave to us. When he gave it to us, he described the security precautions surrounding the file room. We think that we have a pretty good way to get the file, but you two will have to be quick. The guards' rotations are well-timed and won't give you much time to be unseen." He reached for the inside of his coat, bringing out a dark folder.

The Captain stood up and dragged over a taller black metal table in between the benches on which the four adults were sitting. Axel spread the house map on the table.

Klara picked up from where Axel left off. "Okay, listen up. This is the big plan."

She continued, "You two will go to the ball. You'll enter Captain Bodor's home, actually I should really say mansion, and mingle with the other guests. Look like you came there for the party. Don't look suspicious. After you mingle for a while, find Herr Zeller. Or, he'll come to you. Either way, you must talk to him before you go get the file. He'll be less likely to keep an eye on you and he'll be less suspicious of you in general because you, Georg, will inform him of your decision to accept the commission in Bremerhaven."

"They are trying to kidnap you, Maria, which they may be planning to take place on Saturday at the ball, for Georg has already accepted Captain Bodor's invitation and named you as his, uh, companion. This seems unlikely because there will be so many people around, but one can never be too safe. Georg, you'll have to watch her at all times."

Maria and the Captain shared a look, smiles tugging at the corners of their lips since the Captain had most definitely already established that.

The Captain responded to Klara, keeping his eyes on Maria's. "Oh, I will, trust me."

Axel smirked. Klara kept going. "After you inform Herr Zeller of your acceptance, mingle a little longer and then make your way up this side staircase." Klara pointed to a drawing of stairs to the right of the ballroom. "It looks like it's beyond the buffet and a little beyond the bathroom, so going that way won't look suspicious. You have to make sure you are at the top of the staircase at 10:15. Between 10:15 and 10:20 are the guards' rotations, according to Fritz. You'll only have five minutes to locate the file and leave the top floor."

Maria's eyes widened and tension entered her shoulders. Everyone was on edge after Klara said they only had five minutes. They didn't even know how big the file room was or where the file was located in that room.

"The room is right here," Klara pointed to the map. "The door will be locked, but Axel has some tools that will help you pick the lock."

"You have to be back at the bottom of the staircase by 10:20 or else you'll be in huge trouble."

Silence fell over the room. The weight of the mission seemed to sink in. There was a lot at risk.

Klara pushed through the words. "After you get the file, then you can hold onto it and go mingle for a little while longer. Have some fun, get some drinks or food, and enjoy yourselves."

Maria said, "Wow. High stakes." Everyone nodded somberly.

Axel added, "Yes, but we have time. It may seem like we only have three and a half days, but that is enough time to master the plan. We'll have a complete run-through of everything and mental practices. We'll walk through every possible thing that could go wrong and how to get around it. You both will be fine."

Axel rolled up the map. He faced Maria. "And Georg asked me to train you and teach you some moves before Saturday that will help you in case somehow you get separated from Georg and they try to grab you. You won't be able to take out five of them when we're done but you will definitely be able to fend them off and run."

Maria nodded hesitantly. She had never fought in her life. Her uncle had never been the kindest to her but she had never used fight moves on him, and the thought of practicing them was foreign and scary.

Klara must have sensed her apprehension because she whispered to Maria, "Don't worry, Axel is patient and he won't push you too much but he'll teach you everything you need to know." Maria smiled gratefully at her for easing the worry and discomfort.

They seemed to be done for the night, and the Captain offered, "Klara and Axel, you two are welcome to stay the night. I know it's late."

Klara answered, "Oh, I think we'll head home. We don't want to inconvenience you. Anything to help you two and the children."

The Captain didn't push her further, and all four stood up.

Maria said, "Really, Axel and Klara, thank you so much for all your help. We don't know what we'd do without you."

"It was no problem, Maria. We'll do anything for you and Georg to prevent the Nazis from taking you."

Axel and Klara grabbed their coats and began to button them up. Axel seemed to think of something as he snapped around to face the Captain. "Georg, why did you ask me to train Maria when you could do a perfectly good job of teaching her yourself?"

Klara bit her lip and Maria's heartbeat sped up because she couldn't help the image come to mind of the Captain training her – his large, strong hands on her stomach and hip and in close proximity to show her what to do with her body.

"I, uh, am quite out of practice. You would do a better job, Axel," the Captain seemed to admit, looking like he wanted to get out of the room and avoid Axel's questioning that he knew was coming.

"Oh, really? Because Fritz told me all about the knife fight in Berlin, and it sounded to me like you are most definitely not out of practice."

"Knife fight?!" Maria cried.

"He didn't tell you?"

"Axel—" the Captain tried to interrupt.

"According to Fritz, six masked men tried to attack Georg. They all had knives and knew how to use them. Georg knocked out one man with his bare hands, grabbed his knife, and fought the other five with that knife. He took them all down and escaped with only a cut in his side. Fritz said it was extraordinary, and he does not compliment often."

"Exactly," the Captain said. "I was stabbed, which is why I shouldn't train Maria." It was a weak argument and Axel knew it because he rolled his eyes.

It took all Maria had not to run to the Captain and tear off his shirt to look at the knife wound and patch it up.

She instead just put her hand to her mouth in amazement with an underlying level of deep concern. "Wow, Captain! I am very much impressed."

The Captain glared at Axel. "I will not train Maria, and that is final."

"Alright, alright, just wondering," Axel grinned, looking between Maria and the Captain, as he finished buttoning his coat. He and Klara headed up the stairs and the Captain, being the last one out, turned off the lights. Klara and Axel said their goodbyes to Maria and the Captain and walked out the door.

-TSOM-

Maria entered the master bedroom about half an hour later. Just before she went through the door, she remembered the Captain and the knife fight, and she burst through the door, boiling mad.

She saw the captain standing in front of his couch and she strode up to him and positioned herself in front of him and half a second later was frantically undoing his buttons on his dress shirt.

"Why. Did. You. Not. Tell. Me?" Maria said forcefully with every button she undid.

"Tell you what? Maria, what are you doing?" the Captain tried to back away but Maria caught his actions and pulled him closer to her by his shirt.

"That you were injured in Berlin! That you got stabbed! Captain, you could have been killed! You could have left the children orphans!"

Maria pulled the dress shirt off of the Captain and lifted his undershirt over his head, throwing it on the ground. The jagged, red scar along his entire left side, from his shoulder and along the side of his stomach was impossible to miss. Maria, upon seeing it, put one hand over her mouth in shock and the other trailed across the Captain's side next to the scar. Tears almost sprang to her eyes.

She whispered, "I can't believe they didn't kill you. Are you okay?" Maria looked up at the Captain's face.

His eyes were dark and he looked at her with a powerful gaze. "Maria. I am standing here and I am alive. I lost a lot of blood but it is fine now. But please, for the love of God, stop what you are doing." _Or I will grab your hands that are on my body and pin them above your head and ravish you on that bed that is two feet away from us,_ the Captain finished the sentence in his head.

Maria jerked her hands away from him as she finally realized she had removed his shirt and essentially been caressing his naked upper body. A blush covered her face as she actually _looked_ at him, not just his wound. He most definitely had not lost anything from the time he was in the Navy – he had a well-defined six-pack and his stomach looked hard. His arms were muscular and his shoulders were broad. Maria's eyes drifted downwards to the slight v that was visible just above his pants but before she could go any further she forced her eyes back to his.

She stuttered, "I-I'm sorry. I just couldn't believe that you were fine after fighting six trained men. Do you, uh, do you need me to wrap it or put any soothing balm on it so it doesn't get infected?"

The Captain almost groaned as the image of Maria massaging his upper body with soothing balm flashed in front of his eyes. He really had to get a grip on this. He folded his hands in front of himself, hoping Maria wouldn't notice the growing bulge in his pants. He choked, "No, I've got it. I had extensive medical training in the Navy and I haven't forgotten any of it."

Maria turned away, unable to look at him any longer in fear of falling into one of the seven deadly sins, lust. She was afraid she had already sinned in lust. The Captain was much too tempting and she couldn't stop herself, no matter how hard she tried. "Okay, Captain," she said over her shoulder, seeing that he wanted her to know he was fine and he didn't need anything. She needed to go cool off.

In the shower, Maria ran her hands through her hair. _I just undressed the Captain and saw him half-naked. Oh dear God, please help me._

Later that night, Maria could not go to sleep. She tossed and turned but sleep would not take her. She lay awake on her back with eyes open, trying to think of something that would lull her to sleep, but she could only think of the Captain and their mission and that made her buzz with energy. Maria glanced over at the Captain on the couch. She could barely make out his figure, but she could hear his slow breathing. Focusing on his steady breaths, Maria drifted off to sleep.


	5. Wednesday

A/N:

This is the longest chapter I've written so far! Hope you guys like it. Please review!

Wednesday

The next morning, Maria got into Klara's car with her and they drove to Klara's dressmaker's shop together after breakfast. ""We have to get you an appropriate dress _sometime_ ," Klara consoled Maria after hearing her concerns about leaving the children. Before Maria could express any other concerns, particularly about buying an extravagant, expensive dress, Klara clarified, "The Captain is paying for everything for you. Don't you dare worry about any sort of price." Maria didn't know how to react, but she decided she couldn't change anything so she simply nodded in response.

Once they arrived at the dressmaker's shop and entered the quaint building on the edge of the busy area of Salzburg, they were greeted almost immediately by a large, robust woman who was in her late 70s, Maria would have guessed. "Oh, Klara, Klara! My favorite customer! How are you doing today?" The two women embraced and Maria was left standing there uncomfortably. They broke away from their hug for the older woman to say, "Well, well, who is this, Klara?"

"This is my friend Maria. We are looking to purchase a ball gown for her."

"Oh, how wonderfully exciting! Nice to meet you Maria," the woman shook her hand enthusiastically. "My name is Frau Pichler. If you're a friend of Klara's, you're a friend of mine!" Maria found herself smiling widely, completely affected and at ease with Frau Pichler's joyful, extroverted personality.

"Hmm, I have a quite a few dresses already made that would look stunning on you, my dear. We may have to make a few alterations but I won't need to make a new dress for you." Maria and Klara followed Frau Pichler into a back room – a large room with a mirror and dresses on hangers lining the side of the room.

"Maria, may I ask what kind of event this is? Are you going with anyone?"

Maria looked at Klara, and Klara nodded, affirming that she could tell Frau Pichler the truth (most of it, anyhow).

"I am going to Captain Bodor's military ball this Saturday –"

"This Saturday?" Frau Pichler exclaimed. "Oh dear, I'll have to work quickly to make those alterations." Maria's face creased in worry, anxious that she inconvenienced Frau Pichler, but the older woman caught it and said, "Don't worry, it won't be that much extra work. I was just surprised. Besides, it will be great fun! Oh, I just can't wait to see you in some of these dresses." Frau Pichler ruffled through the gowns on the hangers as she asked Maria, "Who are you going with? I know almost everyone in Salzburg, so maybe I'm familiar with him."

Maria paused. She took a deep breath. "Captain Von Trapp."

Frau Pichler whirled around, mouth wide open. Maria's face was turning redder by the second and Klara was grinning madly.

She looked between Klara and Maria, unable to form words until she said to Klara, "My God, she's not joking."

Klara laughed. "No, she's not. I haven't seen the Captain this happy in a long, long time. They're good for each other."

Maria glared at Klara behind Frau Pichler's back, but not for long as Frau Pichler turned to face her. "Wow. I can't believe it. The Captain hasn't attended anything like this, not since, well, Agathe died. You must really be special. Are you two serious?"

Klara interjected, "Oh, yes, most definitely. We need a dress that will make him really fall head over heels for her." Maria's heart was racing.

Frau Pichler clapped her hands together in glee. "Oh, I will definitely give you a dress that will make him unable to keep his eyes of you all night!"

She turned back around to look at the dresses again with newfound energy, not that Maria thought she could be any more energetic than when they first met.

Behind Frau Pichler's back, Maria looked at Klara, throwing up her hands in question with fire in her eyes. Klara winked at her, mouthing, _you'll be gone in less than a week_.

Frau Pichler turned back around, three dresses in hand. One was dark blue, one was black, and the other was red. She shoved them into Maria's arms, guiding her towards the fitting room. "Go and try each on and come back and show us. Make sure you show us _all_ of them!" Maria smiled timidly and shut the door to the fitting room behind her. Carefully placing the three dresses on the rack in the fitting room, Maria sat down on the stool in the corner of the room, allowing herself a moment to calm down.

Klara's words had made her feel as if there was a hole in her, waiting to be filled, and the only person who could fill it was the Captain. _Only God can fill the hole in your heart_ , Maria thought, remembering the Reverend Mother's words. All this talk of being with the Captain had made her mind wander away from God. Maria all of a sudden felt really guilty. She couldn't love God _and_ the Captain. She was going to be a nun, and permitting herself to have feelings for the Captain would only inhibit her desire to become a nun – after all that was what God called her to do, wasn't it? Maria stared at the elegant dresses in front of her. _Was this what God wanted? What am I doing?_ Maria stood up, chiding herself for thinking she even had feelings for the Captain. _He's just attractive, and I have no experience with attractive men, so clearly I'm mistaking this….physical attraction for actual feelings._ Deep down, though, Maria knew she was lying to herself, whether she was ever going to acknowledge it or not. God had led her to this place, at this time, so she was going to try on these dresses and pick one out for the ball.

Maria pulled the first dress off the hanger. It was the dark blue one. Maria took off her own dress and slipped on the blue one. She confused herself in getting it on, then realized it was strapless. Oh, no way. Nevertheless, she pulled it up, looking in the mirror. The top completely showed her shoulders and collarbone and Maria felt compelled to keep pulling it up. It fell loosely around her hips and then down to the ground. It was quite elegant, really, and simple. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that it was strapless Maria would have probably fallen in love with it. Maria was going to go out and show Frau Pichler and Klara the dress until she realized that she had her regular bra on and it looked horrifically tacky. Realizing there was nothing she could do, Maria opened the door.

Frau Pichler and Klara smiled as she walked out. "I know I don't have the right undergarments, and I'm really uncomfortable with the fact that it's strapless," Maria admitted.

"Oh, don't worry about the undergarments. I can help you with that," Frau Pichler said. "You'll definitely need new ones for the dresses that I picked out. We can worry about that in a second, though. Let's first take a look at the dress!"

Frau Pichler looked at it. "I can see why the Captain loves her," Frau Pichler said to Klara. "She's beautiful and genuinely kind and compassionate, I can just see it."

Maria looked down but Klara just smiled softly and said, "I know. You should see the way he looks at her." Maria's head snapped up. Klara was pushing it, big time. They would definitely be having a discussion on the way home.

"Hmm," Frau Pichler titled her head, "I like the dress, but you don't look confident in it. Let's go get some undergarments that I sell that will work with the other two."

Maria inwardly groaned. The danger and the mission she could deal with, but the frivolous extravagance of dress purchases and now new undergarments was unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory for her. Frau Pichler led a reluctant Maria to another small studio-type room. She dug through a drawer and came up with a nude colored corset in one hand and a lacy black corset in the other hand.

"Which one? They both should be your size." Frau Pichler asked. Klara coughed behind Maria. She managed to say, "Oh, you should definitely get the black one."

Maria was unamused. "Mmm, no, I'm getting the nude one. It's more practical and I don't think I will look that good in the black one."

Klara shook her head. "Maria! Are you joking? You'd look fantastic in it."

Maria responded, "Klara, it's not my style, and it's probably much more expensive. The nude one is perfectly fine."

Klara rolled her eyes but Frau Pichler didn't put up any more argument. "Alright. Go try it on with the black dress."

Maria nodded mutely and returned to the dressing room. Through the paper thin wall she could her Frau Pichler say to Klara, "She seems a bit overwhelmed, do you sense it? I don't know." Klara's response was softer but still audible. "I just think she is unaccustomed to attending such events and she doesn't go shopping often. The Captain told me she makes her own dresses usually."

Maria dropped the hanger she was holding in the fitting room. The Captain had told Klara that she can make her own dresses?! That was such a minute detail! If he told Klara that, what else did he tell her? And when did they have time to discuss all this? Her life had suddenly become so confusing.

Maria put the strapless, full-torso corset on and raised her eyebrows. She had to admit it fit her perfectly. It was nothing provocative or sexy; it was clearly for practical purposes and she appreciated that. Next, she put on the black dress. The second she looked in the mirror she was ecstatic. It looked so. good. The sleeves were lace and the rest of it was just black, not at all low-cut, and fitted. She moved to open the door when she realized that there was a little slit that went to just below her right knee. _Perfect in case I need to move quickly on Saturday,_ Maria thought.

She opened the door and Frau Pichler and Klara looked downright giddy. All Frau Pichler could do was point and say, "That's the one, Maria." Maria laughed and Klara said, "Quick, go try on the red one."

Maria slipped on the red one and looked in the mirror. She couldn't help but try to picture the Captain's face if he were to see her in this dress. It was less modest than the black one – it also had a slit but this slit rose to just above her knee. It was a halter top and had silver beads across her waistline. Maria had never worn something quite this fancy and revealing but she had to admit to herself that she really liked it. She loved the high neck and the silver beads across the middle because they reminded her of miniature silver bells.

Maria almost laughed at Frau Pichler and Klara's reactions. Both of their hands flew to their mouths at exactly the same time. Frau Pichler gasped, "He's never going to be able to keep his hands off of you." Maria blushed for the umpteenth time and Klara just smiled before she spoke. "I love this one but I think you should go with the black one. It's more you. I know that you like bright colors more but that dress screams class and this one, well, it is definitely classy as well but I think there's more of an edge, a sexier look to it that maybe you won't be as comfortable with. Ultimately it's up to you, though." Frau Pichler nodded in agreement with Klara.

Maria looked back towards the black dress. She agreed with Klara. "I'll go with the black dress." Maria was honestly eager to be done with the shopping ordeal, even though Frau Pichler was very pleasant. She wanted to get back to the children.

"Wonderful! It fit you so well that I don't think there are any alterations to be made! You can take the dress home with you right now!"

-TSOM-

In the car on the way back to the mansion, Maria completely forgot that she was supposed to be mad at Klara for emphasizing her relationship with the Captain, at least more than what was necessary. Klara was a hard person to be mad at, and she was babbling on about the dresses. "You looked so amazing in the black one, Maria. This is exciting!" Maria laughed.

They pulled into the driveway and as Maria got out of the car, Klara said, "I still can't believe that you didn't think you'd look good in that black corset." Maria looked at her sharply. "Oh, Klara, it's already done. I have the other one, please drop it. And do trust me, I really wouldn't look that great."

Klara just shook her head and took off as Maria walked into the mansion. Immediately bombarded by the children, they all asked where she had been. "Oh, I was just, uh, dress shopping for, um, a social even that a lot of adults are going to this Saturday. It just so happens your father and I are both going."

Liesl gave Maria the side-eye and Maria subtly shook her head. She'd have to tell Liesl something else another time. "Dress shopping? Is that the dress?" Gretl pointed to the garment bag. "Yes, Gretl, it is," Maria said, eyes bright. Marta asked, "Can we see it, Fraulein Maria?" "Yes of course, darling, how about right before I go to the event on Saturday?" "That's such a long way away, though!" Brigitta interjected. Liesl put her hand on Brigitta's shoulder. "It's okay. It's not that far away, and at least she's showing us the dress!" The little girls nodded and Kurt tapped Maria's arm. "Can we please go play, Fraulein Maria? Frau Schmidt has been making us march everywhere and my knees are sore and it's so boring and it's been making me very hungry!" Everyone laughed. "Of course, Kurt. Let me go put this in my room and we'll go out to play!"

-TSOM-

All the children had been put into bed, and Maria sat in the kitchen, sipping a glass of water before going downstairs. She had no exercising clothes whatsoever but Klara told her she would lend some to Maria. All of a sudden, Liesl walked into the kitchen.

"Liesl, you're awake!" "Yes, I just came down for a glass of water." Liesl got a glass of water and leaned against the counter. "While I'm down here, would you like to explain why you are going to a social event? I thought that was something that postulants don't do. And are you going with father?"

Maria took a deep breath. "Liesl, well," she fished around for something to say but decided to tell Liesl the truth. "I am going to a ball with your father," Liesl's eyes widened, "but it is completely platonic, I assure you. It's very complicated, and it's quite late to explain it all."

"Fraulein, I'm going to stay awake all night wondering if you don't tell me the whole story."

"Alright, but you mustn't tell _anyone._ " Liesl nodded, leaning in. "Your father is in trouble and he is expected at Bremerhaven to join the Nazis on Monday." Liesl gasped. "The only way we can stop him from joining them is if he gets a certain file from Captain Bodor's house, and Captain Bodor is hosting this ball. We are going to the ball to get the file. Once we have it, he won't have to go to Bremerhaven."

"That's wonderful! I don't understand, though. Couldn't he go to the ball alone? No offense, but why does he need you? Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?"

Just as Maria was about to answer, the Captain came through the door. "Maria, are you—" He caught sight of Liesl. "Oh, hello Liesl. It's late—" Liesl looked between the two of them. "It's 'Maria' now? What happened to the Fraulein? What are you not telling me?"

The Captain and Maria looked at each other and then back to Liesl. "Captain, I had to tell her about the ball and that we need to go otherwise you'll be sent to Bremerhaven. Liesl, I was just about to say that your father and I are going together because he hasn't been to this ball in a very long time and they will be quite suspicious if he shows up alone."

The Captain included, "I was just in a rush right now to discuss more details regarding how we are going to get the file because his home as high security measures. Since I was in a rush, 'Maria' just slipped out and I forgot the Fraulein. Liesl, our relationship is not a romantic one."

Liesl crossed her arms. "Oh, I was hoping you _would_ tell me that you were romantically involved and I was just mad that you hadn't told us."

"Liesl," Maria and the Captain said at the same time in a chastising tone, and Liesl smiled. "I'm going to bed now. I'll leave you to, uh, talk, and maybe decide that you should end up together?" Liesl left off in a hopeful tone. Both Maria and the Captain glared at her as she left the kitchen.

They turned to face each other. The Captain wrung his hands. "Uh, I will head down to the room under the ballroom." Maria couldn't quite meet his eyes. "Of course, I'll just finish my water and meet you down there." Maria gulped down the rest of her water. Why was everyone so intent on getting her and the Captain together? _I'm going to be a nun, we are not in love, and he doesn't want to marry anyone, much less me._

Maria opened the front door to meet Klara. She walked in and the two of them headed down the steps after closing the secret door in the ballroom behind themselves. Maria was surprised that Klara seemed much more talkative than usual – perhaps she had a few drinks before coming over.

"Axel will be in in a minute. He forgot something in the car. Oh, I am so excited about that black dress. And I was thinking on the way over that you probably don't have shoes for it! But do not worry, I have some that might fit you. They're heels, which you might not be used to, but you can practice walking in them. Also, you really need to go back and buy that—" Klara was interrupted as the Captain approached them. "Buy what?" The Captain asked, looking at Maria. She shrugged but Klara casually responded, "Oh, this lace black corset that Maria was convinced would look horrible on her." Maria had wanted to punch someone very few times in her life, but now would definitely be one of those times. "Klara!" Klara ignored her. "Can you believe it? I told her she would look amazing in it but she didn't believe me. Don't you think she would look really good in a lace black corset?" Klara asked the Captain. His eyes darkened and flickered over Maria's body, and her heartbeat quickened as she caught his eyes lingering on her body. Before he could answer, Maria pleaded, "Klara, stop. Captain, you really don't have to answer that." He looked her in the eyes. The door above them slammed shut and Klara looked up but Maria and the Captain kept their eyes on each other. She thought she saw him nod his head ever so subtly but she was probably imagining it.

Klara turned back to them and they broke their eye contact. "Oh, what was I thinking? Oh yes, Axel's here, so let's get you changed into the exercise clothes I brought for you Maria." Maria almost sprinted back up the stairs, anxious to be away from whatever was going on with her and the Captain. Klara grabbed the clothes that Axel had brought in from the car and the two of them went up into the ballroom.

"Klara, I really respect you, but what you just said to the Captain was really pushing it. You do not need to tell him about my undergarments and the whole situation was extremely mortifying!"

Klara knew she had pushed it. "I'm really sorry Maria for crossing a line."

"Yes, it was awful. You think the Captain and I are something other than employer and employee but that's all we are, so please stop trying to make the two of us something else."

Klara put her hand up to her head. "You seriously think you two are just employer and employee? Good God, Maria, you are so oblivious. Have you even seen the way he looks at you? And he has been so much happier with you. He doesn't disappear into this hole any more. Not to mention the lengths he is going to protect you! You have cameras in your room, so he offers you his bed, and the Nazis want you, so he protects you at all times. Maria, trust me, he's not getting any sleep because he is so worried about you. Do you seriously think he sees you as just an employee? I don't think so."

Maria leaned against the wall. "I don't even know what to say right now."

"I'm not asking you to respond to that, I'm just telling you this so you can think it over, that's all."

"Okay." Maria told herself to think about it after she worked with Axel, and she held out her hand for the exercise clothes. After quickly changing, she returned to the secret room. Klara walked over to talk about the map of the house with the Captain and Maria walked towards Axel. He greeted her with a small smile, and they went over to the training mats. Axel said, "Alright, I'm just going to attack you and see how you respond. I'll teach you from there. Is that okay?" Maria nodded. "Sounds good."

-TSOM-

Maria had finally perfected the move of escaping a strong hold. She was tired and sore though since Axel had been pushing her to her physical limit. "I think we should call it a night," Axel said. "You're a quick learner," Axel walked over to put his coat on, "and by Saturday night you'll be in good shape."

"Thanks Axel!" Maria said, sitting down on the black bench to catch her breath.

"It's not a problem."

Klara walked over to Axel and they said their goodbyes. The four adults walked up the stairs and Klara and Axel left.

-TSOM-

Maria emerged from the bathroom in her nightgown, all ready for bed, to find the Captain rearranging the blankets on his couch. As she remembered Klara's words in the ballroom, guilt washed over her at the realization that she had robbed the Captain of his bed. She stood at the foot of the bed. "Captain," he turned around at the sound of her voice. "I have been so selfish, and I am so sorry." Before he could ask questions, she continued. "You've given up so much for me and you've gone through just as much as me if not more in the last couple of days. You've given up your comfortable bed and a good night's sleep for me, and I insist that you take the bed tonight, and I can take the couch."

He walked closer to her so they were both standing at the foot of the bed. "Maria, no. The couch is totally fine for me. You can't sleep in your room any more, so the least I can offer you is my bed. Please, get in the bed." Maria crossed her arms. "Make me." Her eyes glinted with humor and the Captain chuckled. He pushed her shoulder lightly but just enough to make her lose her balance and fall back onto the bed. She laughed and tried to get back up but he leaned forward and moved to push her shoulders back down, but his foot caught on a sheet that had been pushed so a little bit of it was on the floor, and he completely lost _his_ balance, falling forward just as Maria had done seconds earlier.

The air was knocked out of Maria's lungs as the Captain landed right on top of her. He pushed himself up on his forearms. "Maria, I am so sorry, my foot slipped. Are you okay?" Maria nodded, regaining her breath. "It's okay." As she looked up at him she caught sight of the mirrored ceiling, and she couldn't breathe again. All she could see in the mirror was the Captain's body over hers on the bed of the master suite. She looked back to the Captain's face. She was now acutely aware of every part of the Captain that was pressed against her, and he realized as their chests were pressed against each other that there was no way she was wearing a bra. His eyes wavered down to her lips, and her breath hitched.

The Captain recovered the last ounce of self-control that he had and pulled away. Maria looked away and he pushed himself off of her. "I apologize." "Oh, it's alright, it wasn't your fault." "Are you sure you're okay?" "I'm fine, you're just big and it knocked the wind out of me. Not big as in fat, just, uh," Maria put her hand to her hair as she was just making the situation worse because the only word left to use was muscular and she most definitely was not going to tell the Captain that he was strong and muscular. He smirked and stood up straight. "Don't worry, Maria. But I do win because you are going to sleep on the bed tonight." The tension broke and they both laughed. "Okay, okay," Maria acquiesced.

-TSOM-

Later that night, Maria and the Captain lay on their backs, wide awake. Maria gathered up some courage and through the darkness she whispered across the room, "Captain?"

"Yes Maria?" He whispered back.

"Do you think we can really pull this off? So much can go wrong and we have so much to lose."

"Maria," he whispered fervently, "we have no other choice. Yes, I do think we can pull this off. We have two talented people working with us and we have a solid plan. Yes, it is ultimately up to the two of us, but I believe we can do it and so should you. After all, you do have God on your side."

Maria smiled to herself. " _We_ have God on _our_ side. Thank you, Captain, for everything."

"Thank _you_ , Maria."

"Good-night."

"Good-night."

Maria turned on her side, tears springing to her eyes as she recognized how much the Captain really did care about her. No one had really looked out for her like this before, not even the Reverend Mother, and the contentment and comfort that Maria felt in that moment overrode her fears about the mission, and she fell into a deep sleep.


	6. Thursday and Friday

A/N:

I love this chapter, but the one coming up is probably my favorite so far! *evil grin*

Thursday

The next day, Maria woke up early to talk with the Captain about the plan to actually get the file from the top of Captain Bodor's mansion. Once she had a solid understanding, the two decided that that night would be their first practice-run for the gala since it would be their second-to-last night before the real gala on Saturday.

That night, Maria put the children to bed earlier than usual and went upstairs to change into her dress. She took her black dress out of her side of the Captain's closet, and laid it carefully on the bed. Taking a deep breath, she slipped the corset on and then the black dress. She couldn't help but feel a little giddy because she was wearing such a beautiful dress. Apparently the Captain had already changed into his suit – he was wearing what he had worn the night of _his_ party, and he was waiting downstairs in the room below the ballroom.

Maria walked out of his bedroom with bare feet, knowing that Klara would arrive any minute now with the high heels.

It actually couldn't have been more perfect timing, because just as Maria reached the last step before the door to the mansion, there was a knock at the door. She opened the door, and Klara's face lit up. "Maria! You look beautiful!" Axel came through the door as well. "Wow, Maria, you do," and he kissed her hand. She laughed, and Klara handed her tall black heels.

"Here, put these on. You'll get used to them quickly, and now's the perfect time to practice in them." Maria slipped the heels on and wavered a little bit, grabbing the banister to balance herself. She slowly walked down the stairs with Klara and Axel and seemed to be steadier with every step. Axel opened the hidden door in the ballroom and he and Klara went down the steps first. Maria followed behind them, and had to pinch herself that this is all real when she saw the Captain standing at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes on her. He looked absolutely transfixed.

Maria's confidence went up as she saw the Captain's look. She walked down the stone steps but immediately slowed down. Walking down these steps was really hard in heels.

All of a sudden in the middle of the stairs, the point of her heel caught on the bottom of her dress, and she found herself swiftly moving down. In an attempt to stop herself from sliding all the way down the hard steps, Maria grabbed the railing, but in doing so, swung herself over to the side of the steps, her right leg going right through the glass that was in between the railing and the steps as she cried out in surprise and pain.

There was an intense, throbbing pain just inches below her hip on her right thigh. Maria was barely able to see the Captain and Axel run towards her.

Axel ran up the stairs and lifted her up, carrying her down the steps and releasing her to sit on the bottom step.

"Oh my God," Axel exclaimed. "You have to get the glass out of her," he said to the Captain. "You're the one with the extensive medical training here."

The Captain heard him but didn't look up. He bent down to Maria. "Maria, you have to let me help you." She stood up. "I'm fine," she said before swaying a little and wincing as she applied weight to her right leg. Blood was already seeping down her leg and there was a small puddle of it on the floor. Klara had rushed down the stairs and remained next to Maria. The Captain put one of Maria's arms around his shoulder and Axel put the other around his shoulder. The two men carried her over to the tall black table and she sat down on it.

The Captain knelt down in front of her, taking his suit coat off and rolling up his sleeves. Axel got a large cotton bandage from across the room and returned next to the Captain. Klara stood next to Maria with a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I really need to look at it," the Captain told Maria, looking up at her.

Then without warning at all, before she knew it, the Captain grasped both sides of the slit of her dress in his hands and tore the material, ripping the slit even higher so that she could see the very large fragment of glass sticking out of her ivory skin. "Captain! What did you just do? This is an expensive dress!"

"Yes, and you're going to bleed out unless I rip this dress to fix the wound," the Captain growled. Maria's head was spinning, and she couldn't tell if it was because she was losing blood or if it was because the Captain had just ripped her dress and was now pressing his hands into her upper thigh.

Maria found herself blinking rapidly; her body felt like it was getting tired and she just wanted to go to sleep.

"Maria."

"Huh?" Her eyes snapped open as she stared at him.

"You need to stay awake. I know this is going to hurt but I have to take the glass out and you have to stay awake."

"Okay," she whispered, grabbing Klara's hand for support.

He put one hand above the glass shard, so high on Maria's thigh that she thought she was already dead because there was no way the Captain's hands were where they were on her body right now.

He put his other hand just over the piece of glass. "I'm going to pull it out now." Maria squeezed her eyes shut, holding strongly to Klara's hand, waiting for the pain.

The Captain grimaced as he put his hand on the glass and pulled. The glass came out in one piece, thankfully, but almost immediately, blood spurted out from her leg, covering the front of the Captain's white shirt in dark red.

"Oh no! Oww" Maria winced and squeezed Klara's hand.

"Shit," he muttered, covering the wound with his hands to stop the blood. Meanwhile, Axel frantically handed him the large white cotton bandage which he quickly put over the wound. When he looked back up at Maria, her eyes were closed and her head was leaning on Klara's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I tried to keep her awake, but she just passed out," Klara told the Captain.

He pursed his lips. "I've got to get her upstairs."

Axel responded, "Yes, go clean up and take care of her. Klara and I will clean up the glass and the blood down here."

The Captain nodded his thanks. Once he made sure the bandage was securely wrapped around her, he stood up and wrapped one arm around her side and the other under her knees, picking her up carefully. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat when Maria's head came to rest against his shoulder.

Once upstairs, the Captain walked with Maria into his bedroom and into the master bathroom. He looked around it and then down at her face. Almost immediately he looked back up again, unable to look at her and how helpless she looked - this was all his fault that she was passed out in his arms and in incredible pain. There was nowhere in the bathroom to stitch up her wound properly, so he went back into his bedroom and laid her down on the bed. He left her to go grab a towel from the bathroom, which he placed under her leg. He went back into the bathroom to wash Maria's blood off his hands and then get his medical kit and brought it back, opening it up next to Maria's body on the bed.

Slowly, the Captain unwrapped the bandage from Maria's thigh, and all of a sudden her body jerked. He looked at her face, startled, and her eyes were wide open.

"Captain!" She tried to sit up but the Captain gently pushed her shoulder back down.

"Maria," he said, looking at her. Tears pulled at the corners of her eyes.

"It really hurts."

"I know. I'm sorry." He instinctively grabbed her hand and all she could do was hold on.

She looked down to see her dress ripped and the bandage undone. She looked up to him with question in her eyes.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked.

She let out a little laugh. "How could I forget? You knelt in front of me and ripped my dress and put your hands on my thigh."

The Captain looked away from her. "Sorry, I guess my mouth runs away from me when I'm in pain." Maria really didn't care what she said, it just all seemed to come out and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Ignoring her previous words, he grabbed something from the medical kit. "What's that?" Maria asked, trying to move her head to see it.

"I was hoping you wouldn't have woken up for this. I need to stitch you up. Right now."

Maria just looked at him.

"And I don't have any type of anesthetic. It's going to hurt."

"I can handle it, Captain. Just get it over with."

He didn't give her any type of warning as he put the needle in one side of the wound and stitched her large wound up. The second the needle started threading through her skin, Maria clutched the sheets of the bed in her fists and tried not to scream, but a low, pained "Owwww" escaped.

It felt like eternity before the Captain announced, "Done."

He looked up at her face to see her open her eyes and look back up at him. The minute she saw his expression, Maria couldn't hold it in any longer and the tears just streamed down her face. He reached down and wiped the cascading tears from her face. "Hey, it'll be okay."

"No! I'm going to mess this all up! I won't be able to train tomorrow and I'm going to probably be walking funny after that and then everyone at the ball will make fun of you for bringing a girl who can't even walk properly, and—" Maria burst into tears again, turning her face away from him in shame that she was going to let him down.

"Maria, look at me." She turned her tear-streaked face over to look at the Captain's. The look in his eyes took her breath away. He was allowing her to see _everything._ The compassion, everything. "No one is going to make fun of you for walking differently in two days, and if they do, you and I both know it is because you were brave enough to get through falling through a glass panel and stitched up without anesthetics. Besides though, I think you'll be just fine by Saturday morning."

She smiled, and he smiled back. "Oh no, you have my blood all over your shirt still, Captain." Maria said in shock.

He looked down, as if he forgot it was there. "Oh, I suppose I do. I'll be right back." His heart skipped a beat, seeing Maria's blood all over the front of his shirt. This could have been so much worse.

He grabbed a blue dress shirt out of his closet and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Maria on the bed to think through everything herself.

She realized that she couldn't sleep like this, and she tried to move herself into a sitting position so that she could cross the room to get her nightgown. Once she was able to sit up on the bed, she slid herself off the edge and stood up on her good leg.

Wincing with every slight movement, Maria hobbled a couple feet closer to the closet. That moment, the door to the bathroom opened and the Captain emerged in a blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She almost fell over.

"Maria, what are you doing?"

"Trying to get my nightgown." Her face was red.

"No, you aren't. You lay down, and I'll go get Klara. She's most likely still here. She can help you put on your nightgown." He helped Maria back to the bed, and she laid back down. She watched his every movement, trying to memorize what he looked like in a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"Do you need anything else right now?" The Captain asked.

 _Yes, I need you to come on this bed and just hold me._ "No, thank you."

Minutes later, Klara came into the room. "Oh, Maria. How are you holding up?"

"Okay," Maria smiled softly.

"I'm sorry this happened."

"Me too. We maybe should have practiced a little more in those heels before going down steps, huh?" Klara said.

"Probably," Maria laughed.

Klara helped Maria out of her ripped dress and into her nightgown. "That was probably one of the hottest things I have ever seen in my life," Klara said.

"What?" Maria asked.

"The Captain. When he ripped your dress. I mean, if it hadn't been because you were hurt, you two would have had a mind-blowing night," Klara grinned.

"You know, I'm not even going to try to stop you, Klara. You're crazy, you know that, right?" Maria laughed, although Klara's words did have an effect on her.

"Maybe I'm crazy, but you and I both know I speak the truth!" Klara laughed.

Maria just shook her head, smiling. She pulled up the covers and Klara paused at the doorway to turn off the lights. "See you tomorrow. Oh, and I guess it looks like we'll have to go with the red dress. I'll pick it up before I come here tomorrow. Good-night Maria."

Maria managed to reply, "Good-night Klara." The red dress. She forgot that she would have to wear a different dress since the Captain ruined the black one. Oh, dear.

Friday night

Maria was astounded at how quickly her leg seemed to feel better. Maybe it was because she was distracted by everything else in her life right now. Either way, it was a nice surprise.

That night, Axel, Klara, the Captain, and Maria all just talked. They talked through how to get the file and what to do in each worst-case scenario. Once they were all finished, Klara and Maria went up the stairs while Axel stayed behind to talk with the Captain. They waited at the top of the stairs, talking for several minutes, until they heard the men's voices getting louder and louder. Clearly, their discussion was getting heated.

Klara and Maria paused in their conversation. "Uh-oh, I wonder what they're talking about," Klara said. They couldn't quite make out the exact words until the Captain roared, "Because she's going to be a fucking nun!"

Maria started coughing and Klara's mouth dropped. "Are you going to be a nun?"

Maria nodded, her coughing subsiding. Klara threw her head back. "It all makes sense now! Oh my God, every single thing makes sense!"

Maria just looked at her in confusion.

"Your naivety to everything the Captain does, the way he acts around you: like he's holding so much back, just everything. Why didn't I know you were going to be a nun? Wow! Oh, everything makes so much more sense."

Before Maria could respond, the two men approached them, climbing the stairs.

Axel looked almost triumphant, and the Captain's eyes were stormy. He didn't say a word as they all walked to the door.

-TSOM-

Maria lay in bed that night, waiting for the Captain to come out of the bathroom. When he finally came into the bedroom to find her staring at him, he barked, "What?"

"Calm down, Captain. We're not on one of your ships." His eyes narrowed. "Anyway, I was just going to say that it's been a really long week and I realize that it's taken a toll on you, too. If you won't let me have the couch, then the least I can do is offer you the other side of the bed."

The Captain did a double take. "Absolutely not."

"Captain. We're both adults. It's a big bed." Anger she didn't know was there rose in her chest. "Captain! I'm just trying to help because I realize that I've made your life quite difficult this past week. Please just get in the damn bed!" She surprised herself and muttered, "Oh, I never swear…" The Captain smirked at the edge of her bed.

He put up his hands. "I surrender, Fraulein, I really do." He turned the lights off and came around to the left side of the bed and pulled the covers back. Maria felt the movement of the bed and the rustling of the sheets as the Captain made himself comfortable. She lay stiffly on her back on the right side of the bed. Why did she have to be so adamant that the Captain slept in the bed? Now her life had just been made ten times worse. She couldn't believe she was sharing a bed with _the_ Captain von Trapp.

A giggle rose in her throat as she thought about it. "What?" the Captain whispered.

She replied softly, still laughing, "I'm sleeping with—" she burst into another fit of giggles. "I'm sleeping with Captain von Trapp!" and she curled into her side, laughing.

The Captain was unamused. "What's so funny about that?"

"When I go back to the abbey, the Revered Mother will ask how my governess position with you went and I'll tell her –" Maria kept laughing "I'll tell her that I slept with you! Oh I can't wait to see the look on that woman's face. Oh, the look on Sister Berthe's face! Especially since we didn't even, you know," Maria giggled.

The Captain shook his head in the dark, allowing a smile to creep across his face. Only Maria would be laughing about this.

"Oh, it's too late and my brain isn't working," Maria's smile could be heard through her voice.

"Clearly." The Captain replied.

"Yes, well, good night."

"Good night, Maria." The Captain responded, wondering how he would manage to sleep through the night with Maria just a foot away from him.


	7. Saturday morning

Saturday morning

The Captain's alarm woke both of them up at the same time at 4:45 am on Saturday morning. Maria groggily opened her eyes. Her hand was resting on something much harder than a pillow, and there was more weight on her waist. She opened her eyes fully to realize that she had placed her hand on the Captain's chest, his arm was draped across her waist, and their faces were inches apart. Before she could take her hand off him, his eyes opened and he realized what they had done unconsciously while sleeping. He quickly removed his hand from her body, as did she. "I am so sorry," Maria stammered.

The Captain shrugged it off. "We were sleeping, it's alright." But clearly he was a little shaken up and wouldn't meet her eyes. He got out of the bed and disappeared into the bathroom without another word. Why he had to be so cold one minute and so warm the next, Maria couldn't figure out. She rolled out of bed and proceeded to get ready to train with Axel.

-TSOM-

It had been her first day back training after her fall and she definitely seemed fine and ready to go at the beginning. Now, Maria groaned, not moving. "Ow."

Two hours. Axel had started training her at 5 in the morning and it was nearly 7:00. He was worried about it being too early, but they needed to get the training in before the gala and Maria didn't mind because she considered 5 AM normal since she woke up between 4:30 and 5:00 A.M. every morning in the abbey.

Maria thought she was doing a decent job of holding her own, especially with the ache in her thigh, dodging Axel's hits and getting at least one of her own, at least until Axel took her by surprise.

This was about the tenth time her face had hit the mat, and she was _not_ enjoying it.

"You need to keep your center of balance, Maria," Axel said where he stood over her.

Maria rolled onto her back with a tired groan to find his hand hovering over her. She made a face before gripping it and he yanked her to her feet like she weighed nothing.

"Your weight isn't distributed evenly, and I'm using it against you," Axel continued, letting go of Maria the instant she found her feet.

"Right," Maria rubbed her side where Axel's arm had taken her out. "Balance."

Maria was having difficulty focusing when she could hear the constant clink of metal across the room as the Captain was simultaneously working out. She admitted she looked over once (okay, maybe more than once) to find him shirtless and sweaty, muscles rippling every time he hoisted the metal weight bar above his shoulders. It wasn't helping her focus on Axel, but she wanted to hear what he had to say about her balance.

"Yes. You'll be able to deflect my attack better," he said. "Move with the hits, use my weight against me."

"You're literally twice my size," Maria replied.

"Yes," Axel said with a smirk, "I am. And you're so tiny that you should be an easy target, but it's actually your greatest asset."

"Right," Maria laughed.

Axel chuckled, "I'm completely serious, and you know it. You really have been doing well. Let's take a break." He moved to get some water in the corner of the training area.

Maria sighed, letting her arms drop. She followed him to get water herself, and the rush of adrenaline seemed to drop as well as she waited for Axel to finish getting the water.

It took her too long to realize the rest of the room was silent.

Too silent.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up, a chill falling down her spine.

Arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind, one wrapping around her waist while the other covered her mouth, moving so fast she barely had time to comprehend anything was different before she was yanked off her feet.

Maria let out a muffled shriek, trying to grab at the hand covering her mouth. Adrenaline shot through her, a heady rush of flight or fight taking over as she simultaneously realized that Axel had tricked her and the _Captain_ was attacking her.

Maria pulled her legs up to her chest, using the new weight difference to force the Captain forward again. She didn't have to tell her body what to do. She'd always been a quick learner; she just had to see something a few times and go through the motions before she caught on.

Maria suddenly dropped her weight, making the Captain buckle.

"Good!" she thought she heard Axel say. The next second, her feet landed on the ground again. It would have been the perfect opening to use that momentum and swing him forward except he knew exactly what she was trying to do, and the second he felt her shifting, he reacted. His quiet grunt was his only sign of strain as he stopped her abruptly and lifted her back up into the air, using the fact that was made of pure muscle against her, moving too fast for her to even think about what to do next.

Maria let out a short cry, flailing in his arms, but the force of his swing shoved her right back against him and he locked on, overpowering her with an ease that left her breathless, and the urge to fight disappeared as he took over everything. She knew there was more she should be doing, that she should be planning her next move…but it wasn't there. Maria didn't _want_ to. He was stronger than her, faster, but that wasn't why she stopped – it was that he was the _Captain_ , and it wasn't the urge to fight him that she felt right then.

She felt herself submitting, and she sagged ever so slightly against him. The Captain's response was to tighten his hold on her and plant his feet, securing her in his tight embrace.

Maria's chest burned for air, and not because he still had his hand covering her mouth but because her back was plastered to his sweaty chest and his skin was so _hot_ , so hot she felt like she was going to burst into flames. Her hips were fused to his, his legs where he kept her immobile – keeping her pressed up against him – and she struggled to remember how to breathe at all when the arm wrapped around her middle tightened, his hand sliding slightly lower on her hip, making her burn more.

He was _everywhere_ , surrounding her. Maria struggled to remember exactly what was happening, how he was there, wrapped around her like that.

They didn't move, or at least it felt like they didn't move, like they couldn't move. She felt _everything_ , and her heart took off, pounding so hard and fast she started shaking.

"Freeze right there," Axel said, and reality slammed into her.

Training.

Axel.

 _Training._

Right.

Maria felt the Captain's ragged breaths puffing against the back of her neck, making her shiver, but these weren't normal shivers.

No, these were something else. _Heated shivers._

What was happening to her?

Maria's lungs ached for oxygen. How was she so winded after less than a minute of moving?

It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that the Captain's very sweaty and hard chest was pressed flush against her back, or that his arms were like bands of steel where they wrapped around her, or that she could feel every single movement his fingers were making on her hips…every twitch, every little shift, every time he held her a little tighter before easing off.

The Captain slowly released his hold on her mouth, his hand dropping to cover her shoulder. Maria blinked. Was his heart pounding? Or was that hers, and it was doing enough for the both of them?

Axel proceeded to launch into a lengthy explanation of what she should do next. Axel suddenly lifted Maria's leg, forcing the Captain to hold her tighter to compensate for the lack of balance, and she had absolutely no idea what Axel said next because all her attention was on the Captain's hands, his body, his muscles, and…

And she needed to _stop thinking_ because this was bad. All bad.

Axel was saying something about kicking…about driving her heel into her attacker, telling her she should use everything she had.

Including biting.

Biting? Maria looked at Axel apprehensively. But then her mind jumped to the next thought of biting the Captain, where she would bite him, what he would taste like, and _wow,_ she needed to _never think again._

"Biting?" Maria repeated, shaking her head, grasping for something to say. "Isn't that kind of a cheap shot?"

"That's noble of you, Maria," Axel replied with a small smile, "but it won't feel like a cheap shot when a stranger is doing this to you."

"A fair fight is going to be the last thing they're going to give you," the Captain said quietly, his breath skating over her ear, and she prayed to God that her eyes didn't shut like she thought they did, or that she didn't shiver like she might have, or…or _anything._

Maria gave him a quick nod, shifting slightly, inadvertently pressing closer to him, where she thought she felt…something.

 _No._ No, she was imagining things. Lots of things. _Bad things._

"You two can relax now," Axel instructed.

The Captain instantly released her, stepping several paces back, leaving Maria to stumble before she caught herself.

The center of her back burned, like his eyes were on her, and Maria fought the urge to look back.

Something was happening.

No, nothing was happening.

It disappeared when she heard the Captain's footsteps retreat to the weight station.

Maria jumped when her towel was suddenly thrust in front of her. "Thanks," she said, and Axel nodded in response.

"So, what's next?" Maria said, hopping from foot to foot, her energy level completely revitalized.

"Actually, I'm going home. I think we're done. You've done really good work, Maria. You will be just fine." Axel patted her shoulder affectionately.

Maria smiled at him. "Thank you so much Axel."

Axel smiled and then paused. He glanced over at the Captain on the other side of the room. "You know," his lips curled upwards, "if you still want to keep going, I'm sure Georg could help you out."

Maria's heart stopped at the suggestion, and she instantly froze.

"Oh, no, this is…I'm beat, I should probably wake the children."

Axel eyed her for a long moment, looking like he was fighting a bigger smile before he shrugged. "Alright. I'll see you tonight."

"Yep," Maria said, nodding as he turned to leave. "Tonight."

"I'm out for the morning, Georg," Axel said, his raised voice echoing in the space before he headed up the stairs, a distant grunt from the Captain the only thing he got in response.

And then…there was just her. Maria stood by herself in the middle of the mats. She had to do something. Looking over at the black bench, she saw the map of Captain Bodor's house. She walked over to it and leaned over the black table, staring at the plan. "That file, that file…I'll find you."

"Who?" the Captain asked, right over her shoulder.

"Gah!" Maria yelped, whirling around to face him.

He took a few steps back, his eyes staying on her before he looked at the house plan. He was still shirtless, which was even more distracting because now she knew exactly what all that felt like pressed up against her.

 _Oh wow,_ so not the time.

 _"_ You have got to stop doing that sneaky ninja thing around me," Maria said.

"Sorry," the Captain offered. "What are you thinking about?"

Maria shook her head. "Just…everything. So, you know these men well? I mean, you're familiar with their attack moves, right? Maybe…you could teach me some of their moves."

His face darkened, his eyes narrowing.

"Don't they train differently or have special moves?"

The Captain's face was stone.

"Just to be completely prepared for tonight."

The Captain took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he stared at her.

It was unnerving, the way he could go from hot to cold in three seconds flat.

"Okaaay. What about secret code words they use or…"

One second he was standing before her, his shoulders tense, a foot of space between them, and the next he was moving.

The Captain stepped towards her abruptly, making her choke on the rest of her words. Maria stumbled backwards, running into the table, the metal slamming into her back. He didn't relent as he crowded her, not even when there was nowhere else to go. His arms shot up to grip the table as he pressed himself against her, until there was nothing left between them but her startled gasps and his harsh breaths.

His body was flush with hers, heat coming off him in waves as he wrapped himself around her. She felt it all the way down to her toes as he pushed her until they were both leaning across the top of the table.

Maria completely forgot how to breathe.

"This," the Captain said in a low voice, "is what I will have to do the entire night to prove to Captain Bodor and Herr Zeller that you are mine and that the two of us are together."

 _Mine._

Maria's stomach dropped. "O-okay."

The Captain's eyes dropped to her lips, and her stomach more than dropped as he watched her lips move. He looked transfixed, like he was watching something more exceptional than her struggling to breathe. They darkened, and something hot and languid uncoiled in the pit of her stomach as she watched him watch her.

 _Oh God, help…_

Maria licked her lips, hoping to get rid of the dryness that had come over her mouth. His pupils dilated, and she breathed, "Captain."

His eyes slowly dragged back up to meet hers.

The heat in her core exploded, and she couldn't bite back the whimper that slipped past her lips. The Captain inhaled sharply in response, his chest expanding against hers. He pushed closer.

But then he pulled back, his face devoid of emotion and his eyes empty and cold.

"They will be questioning us and watching us. You seem to have come out of nowhere, and we will both be dead if we can't show them that I brought you to this ball because I love you and you are mine, not because you are going to help me sneak around and get the file."

Maria blinked. What? She wanted to cry. He just told her he loved her but he didn't mean it.

"Do you understand, Maria?"

"Maria," he said, his tone sharper.

"Yes," she snapped back. "It's fine, I think the two of us can handle acting for a couple hours."

The Captain looked away, swallowing. "You don't really get it, do you? This isn't a damn game, Maria! Both of our lives are on the line here! Maria, I'm not okay with you risking your life like it means nothing, like it's just some acting and a game to you!"

Maria's voice rose, "No, I do get it."

The Captain yelled, "No, I don't think you do. You don't get that you aren't the one who'll have to deal with…God, Maria. It's different, I just, I…this is _difficult_ , Maria."

The unspoken words hung in the air between them.

The Captain stared at her, and with each second, the more he let her see.

It was _her._ He couldn't lose _her._

The realization hit Maria square in the chest, sucking the air right out of her lungs. It wasn't just the danger or that they were going into a high-pressure situation, it was that _she_ was going to be there.

"Maria…"

"No, Captain. My life, my choice. I am choosing to help you and I am choosing to go with you tonight."

The look on his face made her heart ache.

"So," she said, squaring her shoulders. "We're going to…act, and …practice!"

Yes, _practice._ That was perfect. She clapped her hands together, but he didn't move.

"Practice," she said again, stepping up to him. He did nothing, just watching her. Now he was making her nervous. "Let's do this, let's…come on, get on me again. I mean-"

That got a reaction out of him, but not the one she expected. His entire demeanor darkened.

"Not like, get _on_ me, we don't have to go that far, that would be crossing a line…you know, if you weren't being so Captain-y right now, that would've made you at least smile."

Nothing.

"Fine. You know what the repercussions will be if we don't practice."

Before she could do anything, he spoke. "At the gala tonight…I have to be with you at all times. I have to be…laying my claim on you in some way. Someone in the organization wants you, and I have to keep you in my sight at all times because it's very likely they could just take you right then and there," he quietly said into her ear. "This isn't something we can just come back from, Maria."

Maria's eyes burned. "What about you? What if they take you right then and there to Bremerhaven? Then what will I do? They could take me right after they take you!" The thought pushed her over the edge and a surge of anger pulsed through her. She moved and grabbed one of his wrists and jabbed her heel into his foot. Maybe she did want to practice fighting. Or maybe she was just looking for a way to expel her anger and her energy. Or maybe she just wanted the Captain to tell her exactly how he felt.

The Captain immediately responded and attacked her. Maria let out a surprised squeak, her hand flying up to ward him off as she staggered back a step but he was already there, his fist aiming at her face.

Maria's body completely took over. She dodged back, eyes wide. Her arm came to push his arm away. She pushed him off, tripping backwards, but he advanced on her, never relenting, never giving her a second.

When his leg moved to slam into her knee, Maria caught it and jumped to evade it. But somehow he anticipated that and the next thing she knew he was rushing into her.

Her mouth opened in an alarmed, "Wait!" but he was already there. The Captain wrapped one arm around her waist while the other hooked under her knee, yanking her feet out from under her and then they were falling. She let out a startled shriek, grabbing onto him as her stomach pitched, the world blurring before they slammed into the ground.

Well, _the Captain_ slammed into the ground. She wasn't sure how it happened, but not a single inch of her hit the mat as he landed on his back, holding her up, but it didn't last long. Once second she was curled in against him, on top of him, and the next thing she knew he had her pinned to the ground, his body bracketed around hers in what could easily be him about to crush her, his face landing a mere inch from hers.

"Whoa," Maria gasped, staring up at him.

She tried to take a deep breath, but he definitely had her pinned down, and she wasn't moving from where he loomed over her. Her legs were tangled in his, her hands frozen between them, her mind racing to figure out what just happened and how the Captain had gotten her on her back so quickly.

He looked down at her face into her eyes. "That's what they'll use against you. Brute strength."

"They're big and strong and used to women submitting to them without a fight," the Captain continued, his voice lowering.

"You'll take them by surprise, Maria, because they won't be expecting it, but you can't stick around. If they take me, you run. Run as fast as you can."

"But—"

"Do not argue with me. You run, promise?"

"I-I promise." He was right.

"Although…" Maria started, licking her lips as she shrugged.

His eyes darted down for a quick second, so quick she almost missed it, but she didn't. Her mouth went dry, her body suddenly flaring to life in awareness, the shock of him taking her off her feet slowly fading away, leaving room for other things.

Other things…like the fact that the Captain was on top of her, his body pressed against hers again, his muscles taut, keeping the majority of his weight off her, but still…there.

"Although what?" the Captain asked.

"Although," she repeated, scrambling for words. "If I'm wearing that pair of heels, I might fall again."

"So take them off," the Captain replied without a trace of a smile.

Maria nodded. "Alright."

Then he moved, rolling off her and into a sitting position next to her on the mat.

Captain von Trapp had just been on top of her—he'd been _on top of her_ , with his naked chest pushed up against her, sweaty and huge, and his face had been _right there_ , still so ridiculously handsome it made her ache.

They both stood up on the mat.

"In all seriousness, though, if worse comes to worse and that happens, you take off your heels and you run and hide, Maria. Don't try to be brave and fight them off."

"Okay," Maria said, moving towards the clock.

They both looked at the clock. "I should change and wake the children," Maria told him. He nodded and the two headed up the stairs, hearts pounding and thoughts racing in anticipation for the night to come, the night that would change their lives for better or for worse.


	8. The Ball

A/N:

I forgot to add that in this story, Franz is good and a normal butler. He is not involved with the Nazi's in any way.

I broke four of my fingers so this story has taken a backseat, sorry!

Rating is changing to M soon (but it's not what you think…probably…)

This chapter is the reason I wrote this story in the first place, so hope you all like it!

Saturday

The day seemed to go by much too quickly. At lunch, all sorts of thoughts were occupying Maria's mind, and when Gretl dropped her spoon, Maria jumped inches off her chair. Brigitta looked at her suspiciously. "Fraulein Maria, what's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing dear, it just startled me, that's all," Maria replied, trying to keep her anxiety in check, but her reactions did not go unnoticed by the Captain, who was sitting at the opposite end of the table.

Then Gretl and Kurt began talking about inventing new games to play, and Maria forgot about the ball for the rest of lunch.

Getting up from the table, Maria followed all seven children out of the dining room, only to be stopped by a wrist on her hand. When she spun around in surprise, she almost crashed into the Captain's chest in the process.

"Maria…Are you okay?" he asked her in a low voice, leaning close to her ear in the process, closer than he would have needed.

Maria inhaled deeply at their proximity, his breath tickling the skin on her neck. After a gulp, she nodded and took a step back. "Yes, I'm okay. I just can't help but be nervous for tonight."

The Captain nodded in understanding. "There's nothing more you can do from now until we leave, though. The children need you right now, that's something you can control. After all, wouldn't you say that all this is in God's hands now?" the Captain ended with a small smile, trying to connect with her.

Maria visibly relaxed. "Yes, thank you Captain."

He dipped his head in acknowledgement and Maria hastily turned back around to follow the children outside.

Hours later, the doorbell rang, and Maria opened the door to find Klara waiting. Maria ushered Klara in, and the children clustered behind Maria.

"Fraulein Maria, who's this?" Louisa voiced everyone's question.

"This is Klara. Klara, these are the children. Would you all like to introduce yourselves?"

They quickly told Klara their names, and Klara said, "I'm here to help Maria get ready for the ball tonight! And then after that my husband and I are going to stay with you all for dinner and the rest of the night while your father and Maria are at the ball!" She turned to Maria. "What would you like them to do while we get you ready?" Maria thought about it for a second and said, "Liesl, you're in charge until Klara can take over. Why don't you all finish your history readings and when you are done you can play a game out by the terrace." The children nodded, and walked away, casting glances over their shoulders.

"She's pretty," Liesl sighed. "Yeah, she seems nice, too," Louisa said. "I like her. Let's be nice to her and see what happens," Gretl said.

Friedrich responded, "When Father and Fraulein Maria come back from the ball, it would be nice for them to hear that we all were decently behaved for once." Everyone else nodded.

Draped over Klara's arm was the red dress. The two women walked up the stairs to the Captain's bedroom. Klara walked in, stopping in shock. "This is your room? How rich is the Captain? You must really be special to him!"

"Oh, no, this is, uh," Maria stopped speaking. There was no good way to explain this to Klara. "This is the Captain's room—" Klara looked at Maria, eyes wide with surprise. "What?! The two of you seem like you have too much self control to do –"

Before Klara could continue, Maria interrupted. "Klara, no. The Captain is letting me sleep in his room because the cameras are in my room."

"Oh, that's right, I kind of forgot about that." Maria looked at Klara incredulously.

"Anyway, nothing is going on, and it's been fine." An image of Captain's body over hers in the mirror and then the two of them inches away from each other on the bed flashed before Maria's eyes but she shook her head to dismiss it.

"Mmhm," Klara murmured sarcastically.

"Anyway, can we just get to this," Maria gestured towards the dress, and Klara knew to stop pushing Maria.

"Of course, that's what I'm here for!"

-TSOM-

At 6:15, Maria was all ready to go. Despite all the new things Klara had done with her – put on mascara, lipstick, and bring her this new dress, Maria couldn't deny that she felt really beautiful and, honestly, excited. Until she remembered she would be on the Captain's arm all night and that in itself was terrifying to her – she didn't know how to act at these types of events let alone look like she was in love with a man.

"Maria!" Maria's head jerked up. "What?"

Klara said in exasperation, "Maria, that was the third time I said your name. Come on, you're a confident woman. All you have to do is show it."

Maria smiled softly. "Thanks Klara. Honestly you've been so wonderful and I can't thank you enough." Klara smiled back and the two women hugged each other tightly.

"You can thank me by getting that file and escaping to America with the Captain and children. I'll see you after the gala, okay Maria?"

Maria set her lips. "Okay."

Walking down the stairs to the entryway, Maria half-expected the Captain to be at the bottom. _Oh, stop making this some sort of fairytale, Maria,_ she tried to tell herself. The entryway was empty, and Klara and Maria simply stood in the middle, waiting. It wasn't long before they heard chatter, and seconds later five of the children came into sight, followed by Gretl and Marta clinging to their father.

He was looking down at them with a slight smile on his face until he looked up and caught sight of Maria.

She could only stare at him, and he looked back into her eyes. His smile disappeared and was replaced with a look of such intensity that made every part of Maria feel on fire. He was wearing what he wore the night of his party, and she couldn't handle all the emotions washing over her.

"Good evening," he eventually said, his voice quiet and low.

Maria nodded. "Good evening." She inwardly cursed her voice for wavering.

Gretl broke the spell by leaving her father's side and running full speed up to Maria. Wrapping her little arms around Maria, she looked up and said, "You look like a queen, Fraulein Maria!"

Maria smiled and said, "Thank you, Gretl."

The rest of the children just looked at them in awe. "Fraulein Maria, you look beautiful!" the rest of the girls chorused.

She smiled down at them and the Captain walked closer. "Your dress and father's Maria Theresa medal and sash match! That was well-planned," Louisa said.

Maria looked at the Captain. She was right. "Oh, I didn't even plan it. Wow, that is kind of perfect."

He tilted his head ever so slightly, eyes darting down over her. "Mmmhm."

"Alright, you two, you have to get going," Klara said.

"Children, behave for Klara, alright? We'll be home—" Maria's voice broke, "I mean we'll be back soon and we'll see you in the morning, okay?"

They all nodded, and the Captain and Maria hugged each of them tightly, knowing that this could be the last time they saw each other.

They moved towards the door, and stopped before leaving to give hugs to Klara.

Waving good-bye, Maria and the Captain walked out of the house and got into the back of Franz's black car waiting for them in the driveway.

"Ready?" Franz said from the front.

"Yes," the Captain said, and Franz pulled out of the driveway.

-TSOM-

Half an hour later, the car rolled up to a large mansion not dissimilar to the Captain's. Somehow, though, Captain Bodor's home seemed darker and more ominous than the Captain's, most likely because of the darker colors of his house. Maria shuddered, and the car rolled to a stop.

"Good-bye," Franz said simply and Maria and the Captain nodded in response.

"Maria." The Captain said and she turned to face him. "Captain?"

"I know you're more comfortable calling me Captain, but you must call me Georg for tonight."

Maria blushed. "Of course…Georg." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes, pretending to be unaffected as Franz held open the back car door.

Georg got out of the car right after she did and stretched out his arm to her. Maria took it and the two walked through the main entrance. The second he walked into the mansion, the Captain's entire demeanor changed. The joking and teasing persona was completely gone, replaced with a behavior that was stony, guarded, and aware of everything.

Maria was expecting him to be more on alert here, but not like this. She looked at him, and his eyes were taking in _everything_ , calculating it all.

Captain Bodor and his wife were standing at the door, welcoming every guest.

Georg introduced Maria to Captain Bodor and his wife.

Bodor kissed her hand and his wife said stiffly, "How do you do?" Maria smiled politely.

Captain Bodor shook Georg's hand. "Good to see you, Georg. It's been too long." He patted Georg on the side of the arm and it took all Georg had not to pull away in disgust. "You too, Captain Bodor." Captain Bodor nodded. "We'll catch up later tonight." And Georg and Maria moved along the line of guests, farther into the mansion.

Before they reached the ballroom where everyone seemed to be congregating to, Georg was stopped by none other than Herr Zeller.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Captain Von Trapp," Herr Zeller said. Georg dropped Maria's arm and his hand curled around her waist, bringing her closer to his side.

"Herr Zeller," Georg nodded curtly in greeting. Maria's hand moving in tiny circles on his back seemed to remind him that he needed to enforce his act.

Georg continued, "I am pleased to see you here. I have great news for you."

Herr Zeller's eyebrows went up. "Oh?"

"Well, where are my manners?" Georg managed a laugh. "This is Maria. She has brought the light back into my life." Maria smiled but couldn't quite seem to swallow the lump in her throat. Herr Zeller nodded his greeting but seemed disinterested, annoying and relieving Georg at the same time.

"As you were saying, your news for me? I do hope you have accepted your commission at Bremerhaven."

"As a matter of fact, I have. You know the strength of my loyalty to Austria, but your, uh, _request_ was compelling, as you know. I just hope that this acceptance will grant Maria and my children safety, Herr Zeller."

"Of course," Herr Zeller lied.

"Good." Georg responded.

"As much as we all can't bear to see him leave, we think that Georg can really benefit the force in Bremerhaven," Maria bravely spoke, trying to strengthen the Captain's lies.

"Yes, excellent choice, Captain," Herr Zeller drawled, "If I don't see you again tonight, I'll see you on Monday."

Georg nodded and Herr Zeller turned and walked away.

Maria whispered discreetly in Georg's ear, "Well, that is out of the way!"

She rested her hand on his upper arm, trying to get rid of the ice in his eyes.

To anyone around them, it would appear that they were exchanging loving words. Georg whispered back, "The night's not over yet."

He took her arm again and they finally made their way into the ballroom.

Dancing and dinner could not have gone more perfectly, Maria thought as everyone started getting up from the table to return to the ballroom for more dancing. She was in Georg's arms or by his side all night and there was no way that Captain Bodor or Herr Zeller could have had any doubt about the two of them.

Then Maria remembered dinner. She probably had a ridiculous amount of water because it was all should could do to release some of the heat in her body because Georg would not keep his hand off her leg. Not even ten minutes into the main meal, she had felt Georg's hand on her bare knee, and she wished he had sat on the other side of her, where her leg was not exposed by the slit in her dress.

She didn't think he knew what he was doing because he was carrying on the conversation with Captain Bodor and his wife, who both sat near Georg and Maria. As Maria tried to continue the conversation, Georg's hand slowly inched up, reaching a couple inches above her knee. It took all Maria had to turn the conversation over to Captain Bodor and gulp down some more water. When she had looked over at Georg to signal for him to stop (but it scared her most when she didn't know if she really wanted him to stop), he looked at her and winked. Maria glared at him for a second before resuming to smile politely to keep up appearances.

"Maria!" Georg's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, I'm getting up," she said, standing up. Her legs wobbled a little, and Georg wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her.

"What were you thinking about?" Georg asked with a devilish smile on his face.

"We'll talk after we leave this party," Maria hissed in his ear, trying to slow down her heart beat.

They went back to the ballroom and maintained some small talk with some of Georg's acquaintances until Georg looked at his watch. It was 10:10.

"If you'll excuse us, we just need to quickly go speak about my commission to Bremerhaven with Herr Zeller," the Captain lied and he and Maria left the ballroom, looking for the stairs that led to the file room.

-TSOM-

Maria and the Captain finally made it to the bottom of the stairs when a guard appeared at the top, looking around. There was no one in sight and it would have been extremely obvious that she and the Captain were sneaking around had the guard turned his head a fraction of a second earlier than he did. Before Maria could blink, the Captain pulled Maria behind the marble column that was just feet away from the staircase. He pushed her against it where they were out of sight, crowding her in with his body. Maria clutched onto his suit coat and held him close. Maria thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest from pounding so hard.

She looked up at him in awe and whispered, "How on earth did you move so quickly?"

He looked back at her, his whisper in a ragged breath. "Years of training and experiences with the Navy."

She looked into his eyes, marveling at how safe she felt, but then tried to look around the Captain's body. "He's probably gone now."

She attempted to push her way past him, but he wrapped one arm around her waist and placed the other on the column behind her head then forced her back so her back was to the column once again.

"No, Maria. We move, and this guard sees us? It's over. He'll alert the others of suspicious activity and they'll have their eyes on us all night. Not to mention we would completely miss our five minute window. We have to completely make sure he's gone. Just a couple more seconds."

They waited just a while longer and slowly peered around the pillar. The guard was no where to be seen.

"Okay, we have to hurry. We've already missed some of our time," Maria looked at the Captain. They nearly ran up the stairs and down a long dark hallway before finding the file room.

"This is it," the Captain said to Maria, pulling the lock kit out of his suit coat and giving it to Maria.

While Maria worked to get the door open, the Captain watched down the hallway, looking for the guards.

It took her a minute but she was finally able to get the metal clip inserted into the keyhole and twist it, prompting a click. Maria took the metal clips out of the keyhole and pushed the door open.

The Captain stood by the door to keep watch as Maria hurried into the room and pulled open the drawers. It didn't take her long to locate the file because Axel had told her what Fritz told him about the Nazis' classifying system, and she pulled it out right as the Captain jumped to attention and moved closer to the outside of the door.

"Maria, someone's coming, do you have it?" The Captain asked frantically.

"Yes!" Maria shoved the file cabinet drawer closed, and managed to make it to his side when he grabbed the file out of her hands and tucked it into the side of his suit coat.

The Captain could acutely hear footsteps and see a shadow coming closer and closer to their hallway.

Instead of running out of the room like she anticipated, she was stopped by the Captain putting a hand on her hip and his other hand on the back of her neck. "Please just go with this, I am so sorry," the Captain breathed into her ear and before she knew it his mouth was on hers.

She was too shocked at first to even respond.

It was hot and wet and good, so damn good. She couldn't stop the moan that started low in her throat as his tongue took advantage of her mouth opening slightly and swept through her mouth. _People did that?_ She nearly pulled away in shock. She could tell he was moving them, but she was so caught up in what his mouth was doing to her that it didn't register what was happening until her back made contact with something solid.

Her eyes fluttered open as his lips moved across her jaw and then down her neck, and she realized that they were now back in the hallway several yards away from the file room, his body pressing hers up against the wall. She realized he had somehow managed to close the door as well.

His hand hitched her leg up to wrap around his upper thigh, and she finally began to participate herself, realizing what Georg was doing. _They were doing this so that the person coming would assume that they just wanted some privacy to…do this…not steal a file._ Her brain told her to participate just enough to show the person coming that they were a couple stealing a private moment but Georg's hands and tongue won over and drove her to think, _What the heck, this is the only time this will ever happen, so I'm going to take everything I can get_ , and she responded to Georg's kisses with a level of desperation and need for him that she couldn't comprehend.

She slid one hand into his suit jacket and around to his back where she pushed themselves closer, if that was even physically possible, and she heard a growl emanate from him.

A thrill shot through her that she'd had such an effect on him. He made his way back to her mouth. The small moans and whimpers she couldn't keep in seemed to do something to him too if the way he pulled her tighter was any indication.

His hand that had been stationary on her hip was now making its way down to her thigh and disappeared under her dress where her slit of her dress granted him access. It felt like sparks were left wherever he touched her, and Maria grasped a handful of his shirt as he kneaded the flesh of her unwounded upper leg.

She completely forgot where they where until a throat being cleared finally made them break apart. Maria froze in place as a security guard stood just behind Georg.

"This area is off limits for guests."

Maria was aware of every centimeter of skin as Georg's hand slid out from under her dress and then gently lowered her leg back to the floor.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and turned back towards the man. "Sorry, just looking for a little privacy," Georg said in a low voice, and Maria realized she was shaking. She grabbed Georg's hand, worried her knees would give out and she would fall to the ground.

The guard watched Maria and Georg head back to the ballroom. Maria's chest was heaving, completely out of breath. Georg's forehead was glistening and he ran one hand absentmindedly through his hair.

Once they were at the bottom of the steps and no one was around, Maria turned to Georg. "That was taking unfair advantage, Captain, and you know it."

"Oh, really? So I forced you to moan and gasp and kiss me back so fiercely that you can't breathe?" Georg scoffed.

Maria sputtered with indignation, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"I'm sorry I did something that goes against the plan. It's not like I had a choice, though. You and I were 'exploring'? I don't think so."

Their faces were centimeters apart and both were breathing heavily. Maria's eyes flickered down to his lips, remembering exactly how they felt pressed against hers. Backing away, she instead grabbed his arm and led him back towards the ballroom. "Oh, alright. It was a good idea."

She quickly corrected herself. "NOT because you kissed me, because it was believable, well no, it, uh, I mean because the guard didn't suspect anything—"

"Maria." He silenced her. "It's fine. Look, it all worked out. We have the file," he patted his suit coat, "and no one suspects anything. We were successful."

Maria smiled, the realization starting to sink in. _They did it._ They got through the hardest part of their mission. She grinned up at him and threw her arms around his neck. Surprised, it took Georg a couple seconds to put his arms around her as well to return her embrace.

Georg's eyes gleamed. "I think we can celebrate." He walked with her into the ballroom and a waiter almost immediately approached them with two champagne flutes on a tray. Georg grabbed both, handing one to Maria. She hesitated to take it until he said, "Oh, Maria, live a little."

She looked into his eyes, hers shining with happiness. And she took a sip.

Unable to help a small laugh, Maria looked back at Georg. "It's bubbly." He smirked and drank his champagne with her, watching the dancers and letting the adrenaline calm down.

Neither of them noticed that the waiter remained at the edge of the ballroom, watching them drink the champagne he had just given them. Once he had seen them both take a sip, he turned on his heel and strode out of the ballroom.

They finished their champagne, and Georg immediately suggested, leaning close to her ear, "Why don't we head home? We've done what we need to do and I don't want to stay here any longer now that we have the file." Maria nodded, and the two of them walked out, secretly hoping they wouldn't encounter Zeller or Bodor on the way out to the car. Luckily, neither man was in sight and the Captain and Maria were able to leave discreetly and immediately.

Franz pulled the car up to the front door, and Georg and Maria slid into the back seat. The car pulled away from the mansion. Without a word, they both sat there for just seconds before they turned and looked at each other at the same time. The darkness fell over them and they could barely see each other's faces but they kept their eyes on each other's for what seemed like eternity. All of a sudden Maria had a hard time breathing, and it appeared to her that Georg couldn't exactly breathe normally either.

Maria didn't know who moved first, but a millisecond later Georg's lips were crashing into hers, and her hands clutched the back of his head, bringing him closer to her still.

Georg's whole body was screaming with want but Maria felt the exact same - she felt like she was burning to be closer to him, burning for more.

"Oh, Maria," he murmured, kissing her chin, cheeks, neck, jaw, and lips again. He was breathing shallower and so was she. Maria was finding it hard to recall why she should stop. She pulled back ever so slightly when she was able to remember the Reverend Mother, but she told herself that something that felt this right could never be wrong, and Maria desperately pressed her lips back to his.


	9. The Capture

A/N:

Thanks for the reviews! You guys are the best.

I wrote this chapter way faster than I expected to, so here you go! Hope you like it.

I know the beginning seems a little cliché, but just wait.

The end is a little dark. Sorry. You'll appreciate the last line though.

-TSOM-

Maria woke up, slowly opening her eyes. She groaned when she was momentarily blinded by the sun shining through the window. _Wait, what? The Captain always pulls the curtains. Although last night was late and we were preoccupied, he must have forgotten._ Maria jolted up, wide awake when the words _last night_ crossed her mind. She frantically looked next to her.

The Captain was laying next to her, completely covered by the comforter. She reached over and started shaking him, pulling off the blankets.

"Ugghh, no, Maria," he groaned, trying to pull the blankets back up. "Please let me sleep, I'm exhausted."

"No, Captain, you have to wake up! I don't remember anything from last night! Please tell me you do!" The fear she felt was palpable.

He yanked the covers off his head.

"Damnit!"

"What?"

The Captain sat up and put his head in his hands.

"Captain?"

"No, Maria, I don't remember anything. I have no recollection after, uh, well, after you kissed me in the car."

" _I_ kissed you? Are you kidding? You kissed me!" Maria retorted. The Captain looked at her, his eyes blazing to hide his fear.

"Are we seriously arguing about this right now? Either way, it did not seem as if you wanted to stop. Did you want to stop? You certainly didn't seem like it last night, Maria."

"Okay, fine, it was just a.." Maria didn't know what to say, guilt washing over at everything that happened last night. She willingly kissed a man when she had already promised herself to God. Was it guilt though? She had to see the Revered Mother before leaving for America.

The Captain interrupted, "Well, I think we have larger problems on our hands now. I don't think we were drugged because we both would have woken up with horrid headaches, which I do not have. Do you?"

Maria shook her head.

"That's good." He threw back the covers and jumped out of the bed, rushing to look around the bedroom. He stopped and let the tension out of his shoulders when he saw the file sitting on his desk.

"Thank god, the file is still here." The Captain opened it. "Oh, this is perfect. It's everything we need."

Maria sunk back down on the pillows, relieved but also disappointed this wasn't the end of it. "Do you think we're okay?"

The Captain looked back at her. "I don't know. I wish I did. I'll work on figuring out what happened and why neither of us remember. I find it hard to believe that nothing was added to our champagne. I can ask Klara to take some of my blood and run tests."

"Okay." Maria nodded and the Captain turned back around to examine the file as Maria got out of bed. Maria picked up her dress that was draped haphazardly across took the couch and looked for her shoes. _Why had she not hung up her dress?_ She put the dress and the shoes back in the closet and went to take a shower and get ready for the day, unable to ignore the feeling of unusual soreness. She shook it off and packed for the trip with the Captain.

Once their suitcases were completely packed, they went down to breakfast. Klara and Axel were waiting with the children in the dining room and two extra chairs had been added to the table to accommodate.

"Good morning!" The children chorused. "How was the ball?" Liesl asked immediately.

Klara laughed. "Give your father and Maria a second to sit down now, will you? They had a tiring night I'm sure."

Maria smiled. "It was wonderful."

"Did you dance?" Gretl asked.

"Yes, I did," Maria answered.

"With father?" Brigitta asked.

"Yes, Brigitta," Maria said, sitting down and looking at her plate.

Brigitta grinned and shared a knowing glance with Friedrich. The Captain caught it and glared at the two of them, shaking his head.

Throughout the meal, Klara kept giving Maria strange looks that made her slightly uncomfortable. After breakfast, Axel took the children outside to play and Klara stayed behind in the dining room to talk with the Captain and Maria.

"Are you two okay? Tell me everything about the dance."

Maria and the Captain looked at each other. The Captain said, "Well, everything went according to plan." He wasn't about to tell her about the limited time and the kiss they used as a distraction. "It all worked out because we got the file."

"Didn't we tell you this last night when we got home? We got home early, didn't we?" Maria asked.

Klara looked at her. "Well yes, but…" She looked down.

"Klara," the Captain said seriously, and she looked at him. "We don't know what happened last night because we can't remember a single thing that happened after we got into the car. We don't think we got drugged because we didn't wake up with headaches, but we did have champagne there and who knows what was in it."

Klara looked at them, mouth agape. "Oh my god. You don't remember anything?"

"Nothing," Maria said agitatedly.

"I was wondering if you could draw some of my blood and test it before we leave for America tonight," the Captain said.

Klara took a deep breath. "Sure. Well I can tell you that when you got home you were quite, uh, excited. It didn't seem crazy or completely out of the ordinary, but something seemed…different. I assumed you were just ecstatic that you got the file, which you showed to me. You weren't about to give me any details, though. You two were in such a hurry to get upstairs. You thanked me, told me that Axel and I could stay the night, and practically ran upstairs. Do you think that maybe you were drugged and something, um, happened last night?"

The implications in her words were clear. Maria looked confused but the Captain caught on and confirmed, "No, I'm confident we just went to bed because we were both fully clothed when we woke up this morning."

Maria realized what Klara was asking and her face turned pink, but Klara visibly relaxed. "Oh, good. Well, I can draw that blood sample from you Captain because whatever happened to you happened to Maria as well. After we do that, I can help disable the cameras and you can help the children quickly pack."

The Captain and Maria nodded. Maria headed outside to play with the children, and Klara and the Captain went downstairs to run tests on his blood.

Klara sat the Captain down on the bench in the basement and pulled a large kit from her bag that she had brought with her. After pricking his finger, she tested and examined the blood. A comfortable silence fell between them as she worked. A little while later, Klara said, "Okay, I've got the preliminary results. These will tell us if anything is drastically wrong." She looked closer and the Captain leaned forward, heart thumping against his chest.

"Okay. I don't have the most sophisticated tools and these are the preliminary results, but they show that nothing is in your system that could cause real damage. That I know for sure. You definitely weren't poisoned or anything. You know, maybe you could have a doctor in America check on it for you."

The Captain breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, I will. Thank you Klara." He grasped her hand in thanks. She nodded, and the two headed upstairs to disable the cameras.

-TSOM-

Meanwhile, Maria asked Axel, who was on the terrace with the children, if he wouldn't mind playing with the children for a little longer while she took a quick trip to the abbey to see the Reverend Mother before they left.

"The abbey? Maria—"

"I know it's not exactly next door but I'll make it quick, I promise. I'll just take the bus and talk to her for not even 15 minutes and take the bus back. I'll be back mid-afternoon, and we don't plan on leaving until after supper. Please, Axel. I need to see her."

"That's not what I'm worried about, Maria. You, going to the abbey, alone? I thought we agreed you would be in the Captain's sight at all times."

Maria sighed. "Yes, that was before the ball. We got the file, though, and everything will be fine. I can make it to the bus stop. It's broad daylight, and they have no reason to be lurking around."

"You're right, but I still don't have a good feeling about this, Maria."

"Axel, I will be fine. It's just a trip to the abbey."

Axel thought about it for a minute. "Alright. If you're not back by supper, we're coming to look for you."

Maria laughed. "Axel, really. Don't worry about me."

All Axel said in reply was, "I'll take care of the children. You do what you need to do and make it back here as soon as you can."

Maria nodded, and walked around to the front of the mansion with nothing with her except a few coins to pay for the bus fare.

Walking briskly down the driveway, she thought about what she would say to the Revered Mother. She opened the gate and shut it behind her.

As she was walking down the gravel drive next the pastures to the bus stop, Maria was lost in thought. _How am I supposed to tell the Reverend Mother that the Captain and I kissed? And I have to say good bye to her too—_

All of a sudden, she saw a black figure dart at her out of the corner of her eye and before she knew it the person grabbed her wrists and had a gloved hand over her mouth. Maria's eyes widened and she fought back with all her strength, trying to scream and kick her heels into her attacker's shins. But her attacker shoved her onto the gravel road and she felt something warm and sticky trickle down her face: blood. She stumbled, trying to get up but she fell again and the man leaned down towards her face, and snarled, "We-ell, we have been waiting for you…Maria Rainer."

Then everything went black.

Maria shifted, slowly waking up. She couldn't see…was that a blindfold? Yes, they had definitely blindfolded her. At least they hadn't gagged her. She could tell from the bumpy motions that she was in a car. She didn't dare speak, but the man next to her must have sensed she was awake, for her placed a hand on her knee and said, "We're almost there, you just wait." Maria froze, fear shutting every part of her body down. Where were they taking her? How long had they been driving? What was happening?

Her mind went into overdrive. _If I hadn't left the Captain's villa, none of this would have happened. I should have listened to Axel. No one will know where I am. No one will be able to find me._

-TSOM—

The Captain and Klara had disabled the cameras and went outside to tell them with Maria that they had to leave for America that night. Deep down, the Captain hated himself for giving his children no time to process anything and making them leave everything they'd ever known behind and travel in less that 12 hours. He reasoned that it was necessary, but he knew this wouldn't be easy.

Going out onto the terrace, the Captain didn't see Maria right away. "Axel," he barked, "where is Maria?'

"She went to the abbey, and—"

"She what?" The Captain yelled.

"Georg, she just took a little trip to the abbey. It's the middle of the day and she'll be surrounded by people."

The Captain stood rigidly next to Klara. "Are you stupid? I don't care if it's broad daylight. They're looking for any sort of opportunity to take her!"

Klara touched his shoulder. "Georg, please. It should be just fine. And calm down, your children are all watching," she whispered.

The Captain realized his hands were shaking and he looked at his seven children, all of whom were looking at him with confusion and fear on their faces.

"Father? What's going on?" Friedrich asked.

The Captain took a step forward. "We…this…I didn't want this to ever happen, but I have huge news for you all. The Nazis," he looked to Gretl and Marta, "the bad people, they want to take me away from you and they want me to join them tomorrow."

Louisa cried, "That's awful, father!"

Kurt said, "You can't let them!"

"I know. And that's part of the reason Fraulein Maria and I went to the ball last night. We had to get a file there that was important because it had information that will help us get out of here. We must leave tonight."

"To where, father?" Brigitta asked, eyes wide.

"We have to leave this country. The Nazis can't follow us if we reach America."

"America?" The children simultaneously shouted, all breaking into conversations and asking questions at once.

"Stop!" The Captain shouted, and silence fell over everyone.

Before he could speak again, the door to the terrace flew open, and Franz appeared. Behind him was a man who was bent over, face red, and panting.

When the man was able to stand up, the Captain took a step back in shock. It was Fritz, his inside connection to the Nazis.

"Fritz?" He said.

"Maria," Fritz wheezed, "they have Maria."

-TSOM—

The car jerked to a stop, and Maria felt hands roughly pushing her out of the car. The man holding her hands behind her back led her to walk.

She remained silent, knowing from experience that talking and trying to ask questions to abusive men would backfire on her.

After marching inside a building and up some stairs, Maria was put in a chair, her hands were tied behind her back, and her blindfold was pulled off. After a moment of adjusting to the light, Maria saw a man standing next to her and Herr Zeller himself sitting behind a desk in front of her.

"Herr Zeller," Maria spat, finally speaking.

"I know you must be so happy to see me. Oh, you thought you were home free after you left the ball, didn't you? Oh, no. You see, now I have you and we have all the power in the world." Herr Zeller coldly smiled.

Maria waited for him to keep talking. "I did try to kidnap you at the ball, you know. Well, my plan at the ball was not as successful as I wanted it to be. I had one of my men drug you, but you left before I could even manage to apprehend you."

"You drugged me?" So it was true, Maria thought. He had tampered with the champagne.

"Yes, it is a brand new drug that my, how do I put this, _scientists_ have been working on for quite some time. It weakens self control. Weakened self control in you and the Captain would have meant that we could ask you all the questions in the world and you would have answered them because you wouldn't have had the self control to stop yourselves," Herr Zeller explained.

"In any event, it doesn't matter now because I have you. This will ensure that Captain von Trapp joins the force of Bremerhaven. I know him well enough that he would never join, but now he doesn't exactly have a choice now, does he?"

Maria wanted to cry. She bit her lip, looking around the room and trying to formulate an escape plan in her mind, but there was no way this was going to be at all simple.

Maria looked back at Herr Zeller, her vision blurry. They were going to kill her. She could see it in his eyes. Fear licked over her spine, making her shiver, but she quelled it.

Zeller spoke up again. "Oh, don't cry. I'm giving you a choice. You can either die tomorrow, painlessly, or you can join our women if you wish to live."

Maria felt her eyes widen at the latter. The only way for her to live was to join the harem. The women she had heard of, the women that the nuns at the abbey prayed for, women trained and forced to pleasure these men. Bile rose up in her throat, and she broke the stare, looking away to keep it down, her stomach protesting at the nerves taking over.

"If you choose to die, we'll take Captain von Trapp's children and hold them as bait to make sure the Captain stays at Bremerhaven. If he does not do as we ask, we will simply kill his children one by one. Of course, if you choose to live, then his children will remain safe and you will be the one killed if he does not do as we ask of him."

Herr Zeller stood up and nodded to the large, black-haired man next to Maria. "You have until dawn to make your choice, Maria. Gustav here will _escort_ you to your new temporary living quarters."

Gustav pulled Maria up and made to move with her out of the room. She stopped and turned around. "Wait. I don't need until dawn. I'll stay here. I'll join the women here."

Herr Zeller looked at her, raising his eyebrows. "Interesting choice, Maria. Well, then. We will see you tonight for your training." He curtly nodded to Gustav and Maria was led out of the room.

Maria was led down the hallway and down another flight of stairs. Gustav opened a door and motioned for her to go inside. Without a word, he shut the door and locked it behind him.

The door shut and Maria broke down. Sobs racked her body as she turned around to look at her room. It was tiny, and a small bed was in the corner. A toilet was in the other corner with a sink next to it.

Maria closed her eyes, her legs and shoulders completely numb from stiffness, her muscles hurting acutely with each inhale.

She kept her eyes closed, ignoring it all.

Her only way to live would be to trade sex, and the one man she had wanted more than anything, she now realized, the one man who could protect her, was long gone and she was left alone here, trading herself to protect him, to protect his children.

-TSOM-

The Captain felt like he did when his wife died. Hopeless, cold, and guilty.

"Oh my god, it's all my fault," Axel said.

The children were all crying, but none of them knew what had really happened. Klara was comforting them, telling them that the bad guys had Maria but the Captain would get her back.

The Captain looked at Axel, and as much as he wanted to blame Axel, he said, "No, it's my fault. I should never have brought her into all this. When I found out, I should have sent her back to the abbey. Fritz, what can we do?"

Fritz had caught his breath and was sitting in a chair. "Well, we have to move really quickly, but I do have a plan."

-TSOM-

Gustav entered Maria's room. "Herr Zeller told me to tell you that you have been requested by one of our men tonight. He paid an unusually handsome fee for our newest, most inexperienced woman. You will have to start your training tomorrow. You will be brought to the man's room tonight. Here is your outfit."

Gustav threw lingerie and a robe in Maria's direction. He left, and she ran to the toilet and completely emptied her stomach.

Trying to only think of the children's lives, Maria slipped into the lingerie and tied the robe over it. She still felt sick and didn't want to think about it. She went to go lay down on her bed, and, shockingly, she fell asleep.

She woke up to hear a knocking on her door. She stood up and Gustav entered again. "Come with me," he grunted, and Maria couldn't do anything but follow him.

She thought she was going to faint the entire way.

Finally, they stopped outside a door and Gustav knocked. The door was opened, and Maria stepped inside. The door shut behind her, and she was left to look at the man standing in front of her.

Tears built up in her eyes and she was shaking. He was huge. His muscles showed through his white collared shirt but then Maria looked at his face. His eyes seemed softer than other Nazis. Maybe he wouldn't hurt her too badly. Maybe it would just be over quickly. He moved to lock the door. She squeezed her eyes shut when he moved closer to her, but jumped when he whispered in her ear, "I'm Fritz. I'm friends with Captain von Trapp, and I'm going to get you out of here."


	10. Leaving

A/N:

So much happens in this chapter! I'm leaving you with a lot since it'll be a little while until my next update.

-TSOM—

Klara, Axel, and the Captain had helped the children pack bags for the trip. The mood in the house was somber and tense. The amount of clothes they brought was minimal, and Georg hoped no further complications would arise, but he couldn't even think. His throat felt like it had closed up and there was a rock in his stomach.

"Georg, Fritz has a smart plan. It'll be okay," Klara said in the hallway outside the children's rooms.

Georg turned to face her and felt like he lost it. "It'll be okay? How the hell do you know? There are so many things that could go wrong and it's not just _things_ , it's Maria's goddamn life! God knows what the bastards have already done to her."

After holding it in and trying to be brave for so long, Klara finally wavered and broke down, tears spilling down her face. "I understand that you're mad, and this is a really scary situation, but you can't blame me for saying it will be okay. Maybe I'm saying that because it felt like all hope was lost and now there's a window of opportunity. I'm trying to convince myself too, you know, and the only way that we can move forward is if we hope that it will be okay and trust Fritz."

The Captain finally started breathing. Before he could respond, Liesl peeked her head out of her bedroom. "Father, we're all ready."

He looked at her. "Alright. Why don't you start loading the car? I'll be right down. We'll leave soon and say good-bye to Axel and Klara."

-TSOM—

Maria couldn't process Fritz's words. She just stood there, unable to believe her luck.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She choked out a sob. "No!"

"Hey, I'm here, and we'll do our best to get out of here. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Maria looked at him. She couldn't believe it. She went and collapsed next to the bed, silently thanking God over and over for watching over her.

Fritz came over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know we just met and I'm sure you've gone through more than you should have to go through in one lifetime, but you have to trust me."

Maria looked up at him. "The Captain told me about you, and I trust his judgment."

Fritz nodded. "I hate to do this to you, but we need to move in about ten minutes. If you want to sit, go ahead, and I'll tell you the plan."

The two sat on Fritz's couch, and Fritz began.

"In ten minutes, I'm going to carry you out of this room, and you're going to pretend to be unconscious. I'm going to draw some blood from my arm and spread it on your robe. When the guards ask what I'm doing with you, I'll tell them that I must have been too rough with you and you are bleeding profusely. I'll tell them that we need to go to the doctor. Our doctor's building is located a couple miles away, and I would need to get in the car. I'll put you in the car and drive off."

Maria nodded, adrenaline coursing through her as she tried to focus on his every word.

"Do you follow me up to this point?"

Maria nodded again.

"As of about right now, the Captain and his children are going to get in the car with everything you all need. They will intercept us on the way to the doctor's office, and I'll transfer you into their car. I'll drive back here and tell Herr Zeller that you bled out and died before we reached the doctor, so I disposed of your body. I know them well enough that they won't care and they won't ask questions. They'll just come for the children, but you will all be long gone."

"Okay." Fritz's plan was high-risk for everyone involved.

About ten minutes later, Fritz had pricked his arm with a knife, drawing blood. He had spread it over Maria's beige silk robe and put some gauze over his arm, then rolled his shirt over it.

"You ready?"

She gulped, and nodded. He picked her up, one arm under her shoulders and the other under her legs. Her arms dangled down, limp, and she shut her eyes.

-TSOM—

The Captain and children had all said their goodbyes to Klara and Axel and were traveling through the darkness in the car. Everyone was silent. It hadn't quite sunk in yet, but the children didn't seem to care that they were leaving everything behind if it meant saving Maria.

The Captain's hold on the steering wheel couldn't have been tighter as he drove closer and closer to the meeting point.

Finally reaching a small abandoned chapel, their meeting point, Georg parked his car across the road, where the darkness engulfed them entirely. He turned off the engine and they all waited.

The Captain turned around to the children. "Don't be scared when you see Fraulein Maria. They had to put blood on her so she could escape, but it's not her blood and she will be fine." _Physically, yes, she would probably be fine. Mentally, she would be a wreck,_ the Captain added in his mind. The children nodded, and Gretl and Marta clung even tighter to Liesl's hands in the backseat.

Ten agonizing minutes later, a car inched up to the chapel. The Captain breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Fritz in the driver's seat. The car stopped and Fritz opened the door. The Captain got out of his car and walked over to Fritz. Fritz was opening the backseat and Maria climbed out.

As soon as she saw the Captain, she wanted to cry and fling herself into his arms. But she couldn't bring herself to look at him. The Captain just looked at Maria, and his heart broke to see her in a bloody robe (even though he knew it wasn't her blood) and not wearing her usual smile.

Before he could say a word, all the children piled out of the car and bombarded Maria.

"Oh, I am so glad you are all safe," she exclaimed, hugging them.

"We're glad you're safe, too, Fraulein Maria!" Friedrich said.

The Captain barked at them, "Back in the car, all of you, right now."

Maria looked up at him, hurt written on her face because of his harshness towards the children.

He could only say, "Get in the car as well, Fraulein." She went to walk and get in the front seat of the car after thanking Fritz.

"Fritz, this is more than I should have asked of you, and I know you are risking everything, but I can't tell you how much this means. Thank you."

The Captain patted Fritz on the arm and he nodded. "You've saved my life. I think we can call it even?" He cracked a smile. "Good luck." The Captain nodded his thanks and both cars drove away.

The children all wanted to ask Maria questions. The Captain was absolutely silent. Maria asked if they could just wait, at least until they were all on the plane, to talk about everything. Once the children stopped talking, the silence in the car was deafening.

The Captain kept his eyes on the road. Maria didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to think, and oh God, this is not how she imagined anything to be.

"Father, what are we doing now?" Marta asked quietly.

"We are going to see my friend Hans. He owns a private airplane, and he's willing to take us all the way to America because he owes me a few favors."

"Airplanes are scary," Gretl whispered into Liesl's sleeve.

She looked down at Gretl, trying to quell her own fears. "No, I think it'll be great fun. We'll get to see everything beneath us. Well, it'll be dark, so I suppose we'll be able to see all the wonderful lights!"

"Why does he owe you?" Friedrich asked the Captain.

"I saved his life in the Navy, Friedrich." The Captain kept his eyes on the road despite that he knew Maria turned to look at him.

The Captain stopped the car outside a hut-like building. "Stay in here," he told the children and Maria.

Walking into the building, the Captain found the man he was looking for asleep with his head resting on the desk.

"Hans!" The Captain said, waking him up. The man jumped up from his seat and looked around wildly until he was able to focus on the Captain.

"Oh my god, Georg! My good man! I've been expecting you. It's good to see you again, even if these aren't the best circumstances."

"You too, Hans. Is the plane ready?"

"Absolutely. I'll start 'er up, and you can come load your things in the back. We'll get going as soon as possible."

Hans and the Captain walked out, and Hans continued to the plane that the Captain was now able to see beyond the hut.

He poked his head into the car. "Children, grab the suitcases and follow Hans. He'll show you where to load them."

The children nodded and got out of the car. Maria put her hand on the car door handle when the Captain spoke to her. "Maria, come with me. Please." Without looking back at him, she nodded and opened the car door. They met at the front of the car and started speaking at the same time.

"Can I get out of these—"

"I'll show you a place inside for you to—"

"You first," the Captain said.

"Oh, I was just going to ask if I could get out of this," Maria asked looking down at herself, still covered in the bloody robe and in bare feet.

"Yes, I was going to show you where to go to change. Wait here, I'll get your bag."

The Captain went around to the trunk and picked up her bag.

Circling back around to the front of the car, he bent down and swooped Maria into his arms, still carrying her bag.

"What are you doing? Captain? Put me down!" She exclaimed.

"And let your feet get cut and infected from these rocks and wood pieces? Absolutely not."

She was in his arms for not even ten seconds, which wasn't nearly enough time to process that he had actually carried her.

Once they were inside, he put her down. She stood in front of the wall, staring at him.

"Well?" She snapped.

"Maria," he started.

"No, you don't get to call me Maria and act like we're partners, or friends, or whatever 'we' are, okay? I come back to you, and you can't even ask me how I am or if I'm okay? I was kidnapped, blindfolded, then confronted by Herr Zeller, who gave me two choices: die or join their group of women to _entertain_ their men. And if I chose to die, he would have kidnapped _your_ children. So of course there was no choice to make. I'd do anything for them. Then I was told that a man had already requested me for the night. I went into Fritz's room, and the entire time leading up to seeing him, I could only think that I would be raped over and over again. And do you know how completely hopeless I felt? I didn't think that you would ever know where I was, and I thought I would never see you or the children again!"

Maria closed her eyes as tears leaked out freely, her jaw trembling uncontrollably, as she finally snapped, collapsing against the wall, emotion rising inside her. An emotion more than relief or pain.

The Captain stilled completely before walking up to her so that their toes were nearly touching and softly pulled her face to his chest. Maria inhaled her first deep breath, his familiar scent, strong so close to him. His face turned into her neck and she could hear his heartbeats against her ear.

She felt his breath ghost over her skin and his arms came around her completely.

His arms.

His safe, muscular arms. Arms she had never thought she'd feel again. Arms that were home even in this tumultuous time between her life at Nonberg/the von Trapp villa and life in America.

His arms came around her and Maria let go, falling over the edge, deep down knowing he would catch her, steady her. Sobs wracked her frame as everything washed over her.

Then she felt his lips press against her head as he let her break.

When she was finally able to breathe again, she looked into his eyes and pulled away, out of his arms slightly to ask in a shaky, watery voice, "You blamed yourself, didn't you? That's why you didn't want to talk to me. Because you thought that staying away from me will protect me now?" Maria suddenly realized everything.

He started to nod. She pleaded as she wiped her tears off her face, "Please tell me _you_ didn't go off the rails."

She was shocked to see his eyes start to glisten and turn his head away from her.

"How can I not blame myself? It's all because of me. I wasn't with you. God knows what would've happened to you if Fritz hadn't come when he did. When he told me they had taken you and it was up to him to get you out, I don't think I've ever felt so helpless." The Captain's voice sounded raw and on the verge of breaking to her.

"I'm the one who insisted on leaving without anyone with me, though. We have to remember that too."

They both stared at each other.

Hans' voice came through the door of the hut. "Georg, you ready to go?"

"Just give us a few more minutes," the Captain called back.

Maria looked down and picked her bag up off the floor. "Just promise me that you'll never shut me or your children out again."

He nodded slowly and it was a minute before he said for the first time in his life, "I promise to you that I will never shut you or the children out." The minute the words left his mouth, instead of feeling tense and pressured, he felt a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

She smiled, gratitude in her eyes. Ultimately she remembered her clothes. "Oh, I have to go change."

Finally able to think about the clothes, she started to feel like she was choking. All of a sudden, she couldn't bear to be in the clothes _they_ had given her for one more second. She started running to the bathroom in the back, slightly tripping over the bottom of the robe. Before she could even get inside the bathroom, she clawed at the tie and started sobbing when she couldn't get it because her hands were shaking so terribly.

"Maria!" The Captain ran after her.

Through sobs, she was able to tell him, "I triple tied the knot so it wouldn't come out when Fritz was carrying me, and I can't get this off, and, oh, I'm going to suffocate in this—"

The Captain reached for her hands, gently bringing them away from the knot so he could work on it.

He quickly was able to untie it, and the robe fell open, exposing Maria clad in only the black bra and panties they had given her. The Captain was not expecting her to be wearing practically nothing, and upon seeing her, he spun around so his back was to her, but not fast enough because he still caught sight of her body. That would haunt him for nights to come, he knew it. "I'm sorry Maria, I didn't realize…"

Maria's heart clenched. "It's okay. Thank you," she whispered.

Backing up into the bathroom, Maria slowly shut the door. She practically tore off the lingerie she was wearing and threw on her normal undergarments and regular dress from her bag that she had packed.

Meanwhile, the Captain was just outside the door, doubled over as a searing pain shot through his head out of nowhere. He squeezed his eyes shut to lessen the pain but instead a hauntingly vivid flash of Maria kicking off her high heels and slipping out of her red dress from the ball in his bedroom, standing in front of him in only her corset as her dress pooled on the floor placed itself in his mind.

It went away and he was left to stand there, blinking rapidly, wondering what the hell had just happened.

Then Maria opened the door and he looked at her, trying to forget about what had just happened. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She breathed in. "Much better."

They walked out towards the small private plane that Hans owned.

The Captain went to the car first, making sure everything had been loaded, and shut the door. He walked back to the plane, catching up to Maria as she had waited for him at the entrance of the plane. Without any hesitation they stepped into the plane.

The children were all in seats, but they all looked petrified.

"We are going to be just fine," Maria said to all of them, sitting down in the front of them next to the Captain.

They seemed to relax now that Maria and the Captain were with them.

Hans poked his head back from the pilot's seat. "Everyone ready?"

The nine of them nodded nervously.

"Alright, here we go! Say good-bye to Austria!"

Maria took a deep breath. At the last minute Gretl got out of her seat and rushed into Maria's space, hopping up on her lap.

"Can I please sit on your lap, Fraulein Maria? I'm scared," she said quietly, looking up at Maria.

"Of course, sweetheart." Maria wrapped her arms around the little girl.

The plane started moving and Marta decided at the last minute she wanted to be with an adult as well, and she approached the Captain, saying shyly, "Father, can I sit with you?"

His face softened and he smiled gently. "Yes, Marta."

She climbed onto his lap, and the plane hurtled forward. They all tensed as the plane lifted off the ground and ascended into the sky.

"Fraulein Maria?" Gretl asked.

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to marry Father now that you're coming with us all the way to America?"

Maria's heart skipped a beat. "No, Gretl. I'm coming because I need to get away from the bad guys but more importantly I want to continue being with all of you!"

Gretl, Marta, and Maria laughed. Marta yawned, causing Gretl to yawn too, and before Maria and the Captain knew it both girls were sound asleep, exhausted from all the running – running from their home, to find Maria, to the airplane, and now to America.

Maria was about to doze off herself when the Captain said quietly, "You know, I do want us to be partners."

"What?" Maria whispered.

"I want us to be a team. Remember, earlier when you said you didn't think I deserved your friendship? Which I agree, I didn't. But I'm just telling you that I want to and I'm happy you are coming with us."

"Oh, Captain. Me too. I didn't truly mean what I said earlier because I didn't understand. I was awfully distraught too."

"Oh, it's alright."

Maria just remembered what Herr Zeller told her. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! Herr Zeller said he _did_ drug our champagne."

"What?!" The Captain replied, barely managing to keep his voice down so he wouldn't wake Marta and Gretl.

"Yes, he said it didn't work though for his plan because we left before he could get us. Apparently it reduces self control and so it would have made us tell him the truth about our plans if he had asked us."

"That explains our lost memories from that night." _That night._ The Captain remembered his intense flash that seemed more like a memory of Maria, and his heart stopped. "Wait. Have you had any, uh, flashes? From that night possibly? That come with head pain?"

Maria looked at him in confusion. "What? No, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, okay, never mind then. It just must have been something I imagined when I had a headache." The Captain leaned back. His imagination was just running away from him. It's not like it hadn't happened before.

Clearing his head, he leaned towards Maria. "Try to get some sleep while you can."

She nodded. "You think we can do this?"

"We've made it this far, and the odds haven't exactly been in our favor, so I think that moving forward, all we need is hope," the Captain whispered, slightly high on the fact that they were safe, and leaving the Nazis behind.

"And for that we have each other, all nine of us," Maria whispered back with a soft smile, already closing her eyes to drift off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N:

Sorry for the long wait on this update! I finally have my cast off and can write normally now!

Just a heads up, I'm going to change the chapter rating to M for the next update, even if there might not be M-related stuff in it just because there will be eventually so I should probably just change it.

I have a pretty clear idea of where I want this story to go but this middle part is tough and this story seems to have a mind of its own…Hopefully it won't be too long until the next chapter. Thanks for bearing with me!

-TSOM-

A couple of days after Hans had landed the airplane safely in New York, Maria and the von Trapp family were able to acquire a luxurious apartment space in New York City.

As they began taking bags up to their floor, Kurt asked, "Father, how many more steps? Is our apartment seriously the top floor?"

Without looking back, the Captain replied, "Yes, Kurt, I'm afraid we _have to_ look out over the city every night and not have to worry about neighbors being loud above us or hearing street noise late at night. I am terribly sorry to disappoint you."

Maria, trudging up the stairs right behind the Captain, tried her best to hold back a laugh but failed when she heard Liesl and Marta's giggles. He looked back at her and smirked. Maria blushed and blamed it on climbing the stairs. "This is so exciting!" He nodded and the children all exclaimed their agreement. Well, except for Kurt, who simply voiced his concerns about when they were going to eat next.

"Kurt, father said we can have dinner when we finish unpacking," Liesl exasperatedly said back to him.

They reached the top floor, the fifth floor, and opened the door from the staircase, revealing a hallway. They all walked down the hallway to unlock their living space. The Captain set down the bags he had been carrying to slide the key into the lock. He pushed the door open and the children all ran past him, pushing ahead of him and Maria as they fought for the first look at their new home. It really couldn't be called an apartment, for it had many bedrooms, a large dining room, and a living room as well as a library and study.

"I call the biggest room!" Louisa yelled. They all raced to look at the rooms.

"I determine who gets which rooms." The Captain spoke sternly, silencing the children.

"Yes, father," they said, guiltily turning around to face him.

The apartment was nearly the entire floor of the luxurious apartment building, and Maria was amazed that Georg had been able to find a living space this nice, this quickly.

"All bedrooms are down that wing," Georg motioned to a hallway on his left.

"Gretl, Marta, and Brigitta, you will be sharing this room," he motioned to a door down the hall. "Louisa and Liesl, you will share that room," he pointed to the door next to the smaller girls' door. "And Kurt and Friedrich, you will share the room across from Louisa and Liesl's room."

"Yes father," they chorused, walking quickly to their rooms.

Maria stayed next to him, waiting to hear what he had to say to her. "Fraulein, your room is next to Kurt and Friedrich's, and mine is at the end of the hall."

She wasn't sure why he had to tell her where his bedroom was or why he now resorted to calling her Fraulein (even though it did seem more like a term of endearment instead of formality, although maybe that was her mind running away from her again), but nonetheless she was quite eager to see what her room looked like. She hoped she would have a window to look out over the city but told herself not to be selfish.

Maria pushed open her door, plopping her bags and guitar on the floor as she turned on the light. She was surprised to see that it really did not look too different than her room at the von Trapp villa, except that maybe it was a little smaller and her bed was a twin bed.

Delighted to see a large window at the head of her bed, Maria ran over to it to look out. Her mouth dropped as she saw the setting sun cast a fiery orange glow over the city, at least the part of the city that she could see. Leaning against the bedpost, she felt a glimmer of hope that her life could be amazing here in America and that God had quite the plan for her.

-TSOM—

The Captain had already hired a cook/housekeeper, but she left after she made supper and would return early in the morning for breakfast.

After supper, Maria sat down on the couch by the fireplace in the living room with Marta and Gretl to read them a few stories. The older children were in their own bedrooms reading books themselves.

She had started reading _The Little Engine that Could_ , a new book they had discovered that quickly became Marta and Gretl's favorite.

After the first page, she stopped speaking as she saw the Captain slowly come into the room.

"Oh, no, no, don't stop. Do you mind if I, uh," he awkwardly motioned to the couch.

Marta giggled, and Gretl asked, "Father, do you really want to do storytime with us?"

He bent down in front of her. "Yes, Gretl." The corners of his lips turned upwards. "That is, if you want me..."

Gretl clapped her hands in giddy excitement, nodding enthusiastically and Maria found herself struggling to keep tears from escaping. It seemed her words several weeks ago to the Captain out on the veranda after she had fallen in the lake had gotten through to him, and this simple act tugged at her heart.

"Can you and Fraulein Maria share-read?" Marta asked.

"Share-read?"

"I read a page, you read a page," Maria explained to him.

"I don't see why not," his eyes twinkled as he picked Marta up and sat on the couch with her on his lap, his shoulder touching Maria's.

Trying to keep her voice steady, Maria continued her page. "Then the toy clown called out, 'Here comes another engine. A big, strong one…"

Her voice mesmerized the Captain. He told himself that he was participating in storytime to show his children he loved them, which was undoubtedly true, but he couldn't deny that it was also because he could have a chance to sit next to Maria and simply hear her voice.

Maria finished the last words and the Captain took over. "But the Big Strong Engine did not want to help. 'I do not pull toys. I pull cars full of heavy logs. I have no time for the likes of you…'" He lowered his voice to be the voice of the Big Strong Engine, and Maria couldn't help the smile that crept across her face as Marta and Gretl laughed.

Continuing to read, Maria finally read "The End" and leaned back on the couch. She was still smiling, and the Captain was grinning as well.

"That was pretty funny," she said to him.

He leaned in, his face inches from hers, and her breath hitched. "Yes, we should do this more often, don't you think?" He pulled away and Maria looked down to see Gretl was fast asleep, her head resting on Maria's arm.

The Captain lifted Marta off his lap. "Why don't you run off to bed and we'll be there in a minute to say good-night." Marta nodded and sleepily walked down the hall to her room.

Gretl was fast asleep. Maria moved to adjust her in her arms and tried to stand up to carry her to bed. Maria couldn't quite stand up though, for Gretl was too heavy to lift from her awkward sitting position. The Captain noticed immediately, and whispered to Maria, "I'll take her."

Maria nodded her thanks. He bent down and gently slipped his hands under Gretl, desperately trying to ignore the swell of Maria's breasts against the back of his hands as Maria shifted when he picked up Gretl.

Holding Gretl in his arms, the Captain walked with Maria to the girls' room. Slipping in the dark room, Maria noticed Brigitta and Marta were already fast asleep.

The Captain bent down, placing Gretl in her bed and pulling the covers up.

Maria watched as he hesitated for a second before leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead.

He stood up and walked with Maria out the door, shutting it behind them.

"Thank you Captain. You have no idea how much tonight meant," Maria said quietly once they were in the hallway.

He swallowed thickly before saying, "I've made a lot of mistakes since Agathe died and the biggest one has been shutting my family out, and I didn't even know it until you came along."

"And yelled at you about your children and to listen to me," Maria laughed. "I still can't believe I did that."

He chuckled. "Yes, that was quite the shock for me."

They smiled, and Maria turned to walk away to her room.

-TSOM—

An hour later, the Captain moved around the floor, turning the lights off.

The Captain set a foot in the dining room, moving to turn the light off, until he spotted Maria sitting by herself at the table, her head resting in her hand, facing the window.

"Fraulein?"

Maria turned around at the sound of his voice. "Yes, Captain?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I'm just exhausted," Maria responded.

"Yes, well, these past several weeks have been…" the Captain trailed off, unable to find anything to describe it. He walked over and pulled out a chair in front of her, sitting down as he looked at her.

"And now you finally have time to breathe and it's all catching up to you," the Captain stated.

She nodded. "There is so much to do now that we are completely starting over and it's so overwhelming. Everything that has happened to me, to us…it's a lot to process and a lot to handle."

"I know. There's a lot to talk about."

Maria answered, "Yes." She thought for a second. "What happened during the time I was gone?"

The Captain ran his hand through his hair. "Fritz came running into the villa and told us what happened and told us the plan. Oh, we were all at the breaking points. The children were tense, Klara and Axel were distraught, and me, well, I didn't know what to do."

Maria swallowed, looking at him sadly.

"But the important thing is that we are all safe now. You're here, safe, and I received a letter from Axel saying that he, Klara, and Fritz are all safe as well."

Maria breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Do you, uh, do you want to talk about anything?"

Maria took a deep breath. "No, not really, I mean," she wanted to ask how he really felt about her and what he wanted to do about it but instead she just continued with, "I kind of told you everything in my rant in Hans' building, and to be honest, I would rather forget that night."

"I am truly sorry you had to go through that," the Captain said, reaching across the table for her hand.

She took it, immediately feeling better as his larger, rough hand enveloped her small one.

"And I am sorry that you had to deal with the Nazis essentially taking away your life," Maria responded, looking down at their hands.

"Maria." She looked up at him.

"My life is everyone who is here now. They don't have you. They don't have my children, and they don't have me. We will be just fine."

Maria smiled.

They sat there together in silence for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts.

The Captain finally set his hands down on the table and pushed back his chair as he stood up. When Maria did the same, he said, "Well, it is late, I suppose you and I should retire to our bedrooms."

"Yes," Maria agreed, and they both walked down the hall to their bedrooms together.

"We've been so busy that I've never had the chance to ask you what you are going to do now that we are in America," Maria said, looking into his eyes as they slowly approached the end of the hallway. "I mean, I'm going to be a nun once September rolls around, but what about you?"

They stopped outside Maria's bedroom door. "I already have been in contact with the United States Navy, and they have offered me a prestigious position as a strategic advisor and correspondent. I will be in contact with naval representatives here in New York. I will not be out on the front lines since I am retired, but I will be able to work out strategies with the U.S., especially if it ever comes down to fighting the Nazis if they get this far."

"Wow, that's great!" Maria said.

He nodded. "Have you found an abbey that the Reverend Mother recommended?"

"No, I haven't had time. I will soon, though! It's hard to imagine going back to an abbey after everything that has happened to me," Maria said.

The Captain's eyes widened imperceptibly. _Was there a chance she would stay and not become a nun?_

All he could do was reply, "Mmhmm. Well, it is late. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good-night Captain."

He walked just a few paces and opened his bedroom door.

The minute Maria entered her own room and closed the door, pain shot through her head and when she closed her eyes, she saw a flash of the Captain hurrying up the stairs by her side. They reached the top of the stairs and he looked over at her with a grin, grabbing her hand. She took it and they walked quickly down the hallway to the Captain's bedroom, laughing together. Maria moved to open the door but the Captain gently took her wrist, spinning her around so she was facing him and her back was to the door. Without hesitating for a second, he leaned in and captured her lips, his body flush against hers.

The flash ended and Maria's eyes opened. She blinked multiple times, trying to figure out what happened. She almost groaned aloud because her imagination seriously needed to slow down.

Maria lay in bed that night after unpacking her clothes and other belongings. Her heart ached. She missed the Reverend Mother and how she could always rely on her for advice and comfort, she missed Klara and her endless teasing, and she missed…Maria's stomach dropped as she realized that she missed the feeling of having the Captain next to her in bed as she fell asleep. She let out a shaky breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She missed the hours they had spent together planning for the mission. She missed the way he pressed her into the pillar to protect her, and, God help her, she missed the way he kissed her senseless outside the file room.

Turning into her pillow, Maria tried to forget everything and just fall asleep in hopes that somehow everything would work out.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has kept reading this story and thanks to all the reviewers! You guys make me so happy (: This chapter has a lot more in it than the last one - hope you guys like it.

-TSOM-

It took Maria, the Captain, and the children a couple of days to completely move in and finally become used to their new home.

Within those days, Maria felt like she barely saw the Captain. Reading time with her, Marta, and Gretl became a nightly occurrence now, and he was always present at mealtimes, but other than that Maria rarely saw him. When she did, it seemed like, well, she didn't even really know herself. When she touched his shoulder to ask how he was doing, he acted like she had burned him, and every time they looked at each other with those heat-filled gazes, he seemed to be at war with himself. Maria wished she knew what was going on because all she wanted to do was help him.

Several mornings after the day they moved in, the Captain announced to the children at breakfast, "I have found a school for you all to attend in September."

"School? In America?" Liesl asked.

"What else would you do, Liesl?" the Captain asked.

"Well, I, uh, I just didn't think about it at all, really. Will it be really different from school back home?"

"Yes, I would imagine so. I'm sure you'll get acclimated quickly, though."

Maria interjected kindly, "Once everyone gets to know you, they'll love you. You'll make friends in no time, and you all are really smart." The children smiled nervously, and before anyone had the chance to say anything else, the Captain spoke up again.

"I have something else to tell you all." All of the children, including Maria, looked at him inquisitively. "Yesterday I bumped into an old…friend of mine. She used to live in Austria, actually, but moved here a year or so ago, and she will be coming here for dinner tonight."

Maria wanted the Captain to look her in the eyes because she couldn't tell what he was thinking, but for some reason he wouldn't. Liesl looked concerned. Her father didn't have female friends. "How close of a _friend_ is she, father?"

He looked at her sharply. All he said was, "We've known each other for a long time, Liesl." With that, he pushed back his chair and stood up. "You may all be excused. Fraulein," he glanced at her, "would you start their studies with them?"

She stood up as well and nodded, walking with the children out of the dining room.

That night came much too quickly, and before she knew it, it was only ten minutes before dinner would be served, and the Captain had not yet come home yet. The children all gathered in the dining room as dinner was supposed to be served, and Maria sat down with them, the absence of the Captain painfully noticeable. With a minute still to spare, they heard the door slam and the next moment the Captain was walking briskly into the dining room, no woman in sight.

"Where is your friend, father?" Brigitta asked, slightly emphasizing the word friend.

"Oh, something came up. She and I decided to meet later tonight," he responded casually.

"You were almost late for dinner father!" Friedrich said, still unable to believe his father nearly had been late. His father was never late.

"Yes, well, I think that if I was, it would be excusable don't you think? After all, I've been on time to almost everything in my life that one tardy to dinner wouldn't be a problem. Your fraulein, on the other hand…"

He looked at her, eyes glinting mischievously, and all the children laughed. She smiled, shaking her head. "I've been on time the last couple nights!" She protested weakly, only increasing the laughter around the table.

-TSOM-

After dinner, the Captain had left to go see his friend, and Maria had put the children to bed. It was almost midnight, and Maria wasn't about to stay up any later; her eyes were drooping and she couldn't focus any longer on the book she was reading. Just as she was about to crawl into bed, she became wide awake as she heard the door open and a woman's laughter and the Captain's low voice. She heard their footsteps approach the hallway and it seemed as if they stopped right outside her door. Then she remembered that the Captain's door was right next to hers. What were they doing going into his bedroom?

Her mind starting racing as she barely heard the Captain's voice. _Was he slurring his words?_

"Georg, darling, perhaps we shouldn't have had so many drinks—" the woman's voice seemed to be cut off and Maria's mind was working at 100mph. Was he kissing her? How was he kissing her? Was he kissing her gently? Was he kissing her roughly? Was he kissing her passionately?

Why did she call him darling?

Then the Captain's voice came through. "Lina, I don't give a damn."

Maria heard the Captain's door open and she could no longer hear their voices. Why did she feel this way? She wasn't supposed to feel like this, she wasn't supposed to care, she wasn't supposed to wish that she was the one in Lina's place.

Meanwhile, the Captain and Lina stood in his room, talking. "Good god, Lina, you have no idea what these past years have been like," the Captain said.

"I can't imagine. You seem so different from when I knew you when you were in the navy," Lina replied, letting her long blonde hair down.

She continued, "Is there anyone in your life now that _you_ are interested in? I mean, I told you I'm in love with a man, but he's married and completely disinterested in me." She laughed bitterly.

"God yes. Get this, though: she's going to be a nun!" Georg said, throwing his suitcoat against the chair a little too forcefully.

"Well it looks like the two of us have run out of luck." Lina stepped up to Georg, running her hands down his chest.

"I need sex, maybe if I just get it out of my system…." Lina murmured.

"Glad to know we're on the same page," Georg growled, pressing his lips forcefully against hers while starting to unbutton her blouse.

Maria thought she would just be able to forget about what she had heard happen out in the hall until she heard Lina's moans and the occasional low groan. The Captain needed to get a padded headboard. Maria felt like her insides had been taken out and chewed up. She cursed the paper thin walls, and buried her head under her pillow.

-TSOM-

The next morning, the Captain was absent at breakfast. _Probably suffering from a wicked hangover_ , Maria thought with no sympathy for him at all. She did her best to distract herself with the children, but it was no use.

Finally at lunch, the Captain appeared, acting as if nothing was amiss. He looked up at Maria, who refused to meet his eyes. She focused on her plate, and the tension in his shoulders returned. Maria finally looked up from her food. "I decided that I'm going to go visit an abbey that the Revered Mother recommended today. I think I'll leave in about an hour. I'm sure your father can take a few hours away from his work to take care of you, right?" She asked pointedly at him, her tone almost accusatory.

"Actually, if you are going to the abbey today, I'm taking you there. Liesl can watch everyone just fine if they stay here," the Captain stated.

"Oh, that's completely unnecessary, Captain."

The two adults completely forgot about the children surrounding them, trying to make the other back down by maintaining the eye contact.

"Are you insulting my competence, Captain?" Maria continued.

"No," he slammed his hand down on the table and the children jumped, "I'm going with you because the last time you decided to take a trip to the abbey by yourself we almost lost you!"

Maria didn't know how to respond, and she felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"Why don't we continue this discussion after lunch?" Maria said quietly, becoming aware of the children gaping at them.

"There is no more discussion to be had," the Captain retorted.

Everyone finished their lunch in silence, and the children were excused from the table. Maria and the Captain stood up and before Maria could say anything, the Captain barked, "Do you still want to go the abbey?"

"Yes, I do."

"Alright, let's go," the Captain said, moving through the door. Finally coming to the frustrating realization that she would have to go with the Captain if she ever wanted to go to an abbey, Maria followed him.

"Liesl," he called out, and she came into sight. "You're in charge until we get back. Don't leave the apartment."

"Yes father," she said, looking between him and Maria.

Before she knew it, Maria and the Captain were out the door and walking to his car. Neither one said a word as they got into his car. The Captain started the engine and took off.

The Captain could barely focus on driving and his hands gripped the steering wheel tighter and tighter. Finally everything boiled over and he barked, "What is your deal?"

"Excuse me? _My_ deal? What's wrong with _you_?" Maria yelled back. "Why don't you explain to me why you went out last night, got drunk, and took your _friend_ to your bed?"

The car lurched forward as he slammed on the brakes. He looked over at her, his jaw clenched. "It was meaningless sex, Maria."

Her face turned a little redder as he said sex. "Meaningless? So if Friedrich does what you did in a few years and you find out and he tells you it was meaningless, what are you going to do?"

His face darkened and he glowered at her. "Friedrich will not—"

"Well you're just setting the perfect example for him then!" Maria yelled.

You know what, Maria? I made a mistake, alright? There are some things you don't understand."

"Then help me understand! Try me," Maria pleaded.

He shook his head. "I just needed to forget about…" he turned his head and looked into her eyes, "some things that have been haunting me since the day I met you." Maria didn't know if he was talking about her or if he was talking about how Maria made him realize that he had shut his children out since Agathe died. She shook her head, not wanting to hear any more, fearing it was her.

"Then why have you treated me like I burn you every time we have been close to each other lately?"

"Because you do, Maria. You burn me with your fire," the Captain admitted, his voice lower.

"Well you burn me too," Maria whispered, her eyes on the road ahead of them.

The Captain's eyes widened and before he could say anything he grunted in pain as he shut his eyes and the now familiar pain seared in his mind. He was positioned between Maria's legs and gently kissing the insides of her thighs up until he slipped his tongue into her. Looking up, he saw her naked body writhing on his bed – her breasts heaving and her head thrown back.

The Captain opened his eyes, out of breath. That was too real to be a figment of his imagination. It seemed so much like a memory that his heart was pounding against his chest. _What had he done?_

Maria leaned closer to him, concerned. "Captain? Captain? Are you alright?"

He looked at her and nodded slowly. "I, uh, I've been having these flashes. Ever since the night of the ball. I get head pain and then shut my eyes to block the pain but I get a flash, well, I think they're more like…memories."

"Memories?" Maria asked, fully aware of what he was talking about since she had experienced these flashes herself, but wanting to hear more about what he said. He thought they were memories? She held her breath.

"Yes, they seem much too real to be my imagination, and considering we lost our memories of that night, I think that the champagne was drugged and now the drug that was in it is making me have flashes. Remember I asked you about them on the plane?"

Maria nodded and said quietly, almost as if she was afraid of the words themselves, "I've gotten flashes too." The Captain visibly swallowed. _How much had she seen?_ "How much have you seen?" he asked.

"Not much," she replied, and his breathing came slightly easier. She continued, "I just saw us running up the steps and, uh, outside your bedroom." Her face was turning pinker and the Captain knew there had been more to it. "And?" The Captain was having too much fun with this, and he knew he should be worried, which he definitely was, but he couldn't help but tease her just a little.

"And you kissed me," the words tumbled out of Maria's mouth. "Oh, well it's not like I haven't kissed you before," he responded with a smirk.

"Captain!" Maria wanted to move off the topic because the last person she wanted to be talking about intimacy with was the man sitting next to her right now. She was so eager to talk about anything else that she forgot to ask him how much he had seen.

"Can we please just continue to the abbey?" His only response was letting the car move forward and continued driving to the outskirts of the city.

"We need to go to the doctor to run more tests to find out more about this drug," the Captain spoke up seconds later.

"Mmhm," Maria replied. "What if it affected us more than we know?" The question was left hanging in the air, leaving them both to wonder about worst case scenarios.

Finally reaching the convent, the Captain parked his car outside the large stone walls and he and Maria got out of the car, walked up to the monstrous front gate and rang the bell.

Before anyone approached them, the Captain said, "I'll wait in the car for you. Good luck." She nodded in response and he returned to sit in the car.

The gate opened and a nun looked at Maria. "Hello! How can I help you?" she asked.

"My name is Maria, I'm from Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg, and I recently moved here. The Revered Mother there told me to come here." The nun ushered her inside, and Maria stepped into the abbey.

-TSOM-

An hour later, the Captain sat up in his seat as he saw Maria exit the abbey. She got into the car and audibly took a deep breath in and exhaled.

"How did it all go?"

"Fine," Maria said, "It's perfect. The Reverend Mother was right. It seems wonderful." The Captain was confused. She wasn't jumping for joy or telling him numerous stories. "But…?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know," she said passionately. "It was _too_ perfect. Everywhere I looked and everything I heard, my response was, 'oh, that's nice.' Nothing there seems…like it's beckoning to me anymore! Nothing there that seems like I want to spend the rest of my life there, and I don't know what to do because being a nun is what I planned on my whole life!"

The Captain's heart was in his throat. "Maybe you're just having doubts. That's normal."

She nodded hesitantly. "Yes, it's just different from Nonnberg. Maybe I just need to get used to it."

The Captain wanted to tell her, _No, don't ever get used to it, don't ever go back, don't spend the rest of your life there, spend the rest of your life with me!_ Instead, he just started the car and they continued home.

-TSOM-

The Captain picked up a letter that was waiting for him in his mailbox on the first floor, and once he and Maria got back into the apartment, he opened it. While he ripped the letter, he told Maria, "I sent a letter to Klara and Axel with our new address, and I just received their reply."

Maria looked at him, waiting for him to tell her what the letter said. He was finally able to open the envelope, and his eyes scanned their message.

"They're in trouble," he said to Maria grimly.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Flashes are now in italics, by the way. Hope you guys like this chapter, there's a lot in it!

XXX

 _"I sent a letter to Klara and Axel with our new address, and I just received their reply."_

 _Maria looked at him, waiting for him to tell her what the letter said. He was finally able to open the envelope, and his eyes scanned their message._

 _"They're in trouble," he said to Maria grimly._

"What?" She gasped.

The Captain quickly corrected himself, "Well, they _were_ in trouble. The Nazis recognized Klara from what they saw from the cameras in the villa, and Fritz told them that they were the Nazis' next targets, so they're doing what we did. They jumped on a plane and are coming here to New York."

Maria's jaw dropped. "What? What? Oh," she walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch, plopping down to sit.

The Captain followed her. "Hey," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry," she said, struggling to inhale.

"Don't apologize. Klara and Axel are safe, Maria," the Captain said, sitting next to her on the couch.

She nodded. "I wish they hadn't been in danger but I'm so glad they're coming to New York. It's been such a big change living in an entirely new continent and I'm so excited that I'll soon have Klara to talk to." Really, Maria was so excited, but all the emotions were hitting her at once, and the Captain sitting next to her and pretending he cared about her when she thought that was farther from the truth than anything just killed her.

The Captain just sat next to her, thinking about everything he'd done wrong. He'd really messed up. In so many ways. Was bringing Maria to America the best option for her or had his judgment been clouded? Would she have been happier staying? Who was he kidding – Maria would probably be dead if he had left her back in America. He regretted not being there for her and with her every moment they were in America and he hated himself for sleeping with Lina. But he didn't know how much more he could control himself around Maria if he spent any more time with her, and he didn't want to make her unhappy and he didn't want her to be scared or conflicted.

In the moments they had to think, they noticed that the house was eerily silent.

Looking up, Maria jumped up from the couch, her head spinning. "Where are the children?"

The Captain's eyes widened. "Oh my God," he muttered, becoming aware of the silence immediately as well. He started running into the bedroom wing, frantically shoving every door open, only to find them all empty.

"Children? Liesl? Friedrich?" Maria started yelling the children's names hysterically. After she and the Captain had quickly gone through the entire apartment and there was no sign of the children, they met back in the living room.

"Where are they?" Maria asked, eyes wide, and breathing fast. Her legs started to feel like jelly and no matter how much air she thought she was taking in none seemed to get to her. The Captain blurred in front of her.

His voice cut into her swirling, out of control thoughts. "Maria. Maria, look at me."

Her breathing slowed slightly and she could focus on him. "I can't breathe," she choked out.

"Hey, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here."

Maria frantically shook her head. "But the children!"

"I'm sure they are just exploring and looking for ways to play tricks," the Captain said, trying to calm her, quelling his own fears.

Maria's breathing wasn't slowing down but she could finally bring herself to sit down.

"May I?" He asked tentatively, reaching out for her hands.

She nodded, and he grasped her hands.

"Just focus on my breathing, okay? All you have to do is breathe with me, that's it," he whispered into her ear, slowing his own breathing, his breaths in Maria's ear.

She was finally able to feel like she could breathe air in, and, exhausted, her head slowly dropped down to rest on the Captain's shoulder.

His thumbs swirled soothing circles over her hands, and she took a minute to calm down.

Finally looking up, she stood up slowly. "Okay, thank you, I-I don't know what happened, I've never felt like that before."

The Captain stood up next to her. "You had a panic attack, Maria."

She nodded. "That was really scary. And I'm so tired. But we _have_ to go find the children!"

Instinctively grabbing his hand and ignoring the shaky feeling that still remained in her legs, Maria started to run with him out of their apartment and down to the first floor.

The Captain asked the man sitting at the desk on the first floor if he had seen them. Relief flooded through both him and Maria when the man said, "Yes, they went out back. I think they went to the pool."

"Pool?" Maria asked.

"Yes, we have a pool for residents only behind our building," the man explained like it was perfectly obvious and she should know.

They walked quickly out back, to find all seven of their children splashing, swimming, and laughing in the pool.

Brigitta and Liesl saw their father and Fraulein Maria first. Eyes wide, they swam to the side of the pool, trying to alert their siblings.

"Come out of that water at once!" The Captain barked, and all the children gathered around him and Fraulein Maria, dripping wet, all wearing swimsuits.

Maria rushed forward to hug them all, not caring if they got her wet. "We were so worried about you, we didn't know where you were!"

"I'm sorry, Fraulein! We saw there was a pool earlier and we really wanted to swim," Liesl explained. "I am so sorry Father," she said, hanging her head.

Maria was still holding on to Gretl and Brigitta as she looked up to the Captain. She was surprised to see his eyes already on her. "I don't care that you went swimming," he started, prompting jaws to drop.

"I _do_ care that you did this on the sly and snuck out, I do care that you did not tell us, and I do care that you were swimming without an adult here! Liesl is almost an adult, but that does not mean she can watch six other kids in a _pool!_ " He yelled.

"You nearly gave me and your father a heart attack when we returned to the apartment and found you all gone," Maria said, backing the Captain up.

All the children's faces looked guilty, and the Captain said, "Upstairs to take baths and dry off."

They all walked briskly back to the apartment and Maria and the Captain followed. "Oh, thank God we found them," Maria breathed.

"Yes, this could have been so much worse. But pools are dangerous and the little ones don't know how to swim," the Captain replied anxiously.

"Well, perhaps this pool is a blessing, we can teach them how to swim in the future," Maria said.

"Hmm," the Captain responded.

XXXX

During the dinner, the children were unusually quiet – still feeling bad about their earlier escapade to the pool.

"I have news that might cheer you all up," Maria offered.

All seven heads turned to look at her. "Klara and Axel are coming to live in New York!"

Cheers erupted around the table. "Oh, we love Klara, she's awesome!" Liesl said.

"I think they'll land here tonight, and maybe they will visit in the next couple of days," the Captain said.

He looked up and caught Maria's eyes. A millisecond later, without warning, Maria's head erupted in pain.

This flash was much longer and, surprisingly, she could _hear_ what was happening in the flash.

 _She was laying on the bed, completely naked, in front of the Captain who was shirtless and dressed in only his black dress pants._

 _"I want you to touch me," she whispered. He twitched between her legs, a small strangled sound stirring in the back of his throat. "Maria…" he murmured, his hands on her hips and stomach._

 _Her hands came up to the back of his neck, tangling at the base of his skull as she whispered breathlessly. "Georg…"_

 _He closed his lips over hers and the two entwined their tongues with a surge of urgency._

 _He only indulged the kiss for a moment before his hands moved down to her knees, not pulling his lips away from hers as he slid them up her thighs. She could hear her breath hitch with each inch, but she didn't stop him, clearly enjoying the touch of his calloused fingers against her sensitive skin._

 _Then his fingers stroked through her folds and she moaned into his mouth as their kiss became a little faster, a little rougher, and a little more desperate._

Maria's eyes flew open, only to see all the children crowded around her and the Captain's face unreadable but clearly showing concern.

She quickly averted her eyes from the Captain and took a large swig of water. "I'm fine, I just had a bit of head pain, that's all. If you'll please excuse me, I think I need some rest." Her breathy, wavering voice didn't help the Captain's thoughts. _What had she seen this time?_

Almost running from the dining room, Maria quickly shut herself in her room and collapsed on her bed, all sorts of thoughts running through her head, the main one being _What if that really was a memory like the Captain thinks it was? Then he saw me naked and_ touched _me and we kissed and God knows what else happened._

The only thing was that Maria couldn't help but feel a small amount of disappointment that they did _that_ and couldn't even remember it fully.

She sat up with a gasp – if she had been seeing these flashes and if they were really memories that were coming back, then the Captain saw them too which means sooner or later he would _see her with no clothes_ _on._

The thought made Maria's heart beat so fast. She finally admitted to herself that she had wanted this, that she wanted this, and the only person she wanted this with was the Captain. But not like this, not before they were married, not when they were drugged, not when they couldn't even remember it, and certainly not when the Captain was with another woman, even if he said it was meaningless.

That seemed to turn a switch on in Maria. Without giving it another thought, she marched out of her room.

Seeing Liesl reading to Marta and Gretl on the couch in the living room, she asked, "Where's your father?"

Liesl looked up, surprised. "Uh, he's in his study I think. He said he had a few things to take care of and then he would be right back to read with us."

"Okay," Maria said, already walking in the direction of the Captain's study.

Without bothering to knock, Maria pushed open the door. The Captain, sitting on a chair behind his large desk, looked up from some papers in shock.

"Maria?"

She closed the door behind her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "I am still extremely upset and very rattled that you stooped so low to do what you did with Lina!" Without a pause, she continued, "And I know this has nothing to do with me, but it really has everything to do with me because your relationships with other women affect your children and I am your children's governess, am I not?"

The Captain stood up, coming around to the front of the desk. "You are, and you have every right to be mad at me."

He continued, something seeming to spill over inside him. He couldn't think clearly, and just outright said exactly what was on the front of his mind, "I did it because I was drunk and because I knew that I could never have you and even if I could I wouldn't because of the life I lead I can't be with anyone I could truly care about and you are going to be a nun!"

Maria looked at him, mouth open in shock. "You care about me and you want to be with me?" She whispered.

"Good god, Maria, yes!"

"But you can't be with someone you truly care about? Honestly, I have always thought of you as an intelligent man, but that was terribly unintelligent!" Maria was so confused.

"No I couldn't because look what's already happened to you! You've been kidnapped, nearly raped and nearly killed, and had to uproot your entire life and all because of me!"

"Exactly! There's nothing worse that could happen!"

"What do you mean exactly? Yes there is! Who knows when they'll come over here, who knows which enemy from my past will find us here? I can't hurt you more Maria!"

"Yes, actually, you can! By saying you can't be with me even though you care for me you are hurting me more than anything else physically could!" She screamed.

The Captain stared at her, unable to comprehend what she was saying. He knew he affected her, but _this much? As much as she affected him?_

"Maria." He grasped her hand.

Her breath hitched, stuck right in her throat, at the soft way he whispered her name, so much softer than he had, as though their argument hadn't affected him at all. Maria looked at his intense eyes, and felt a shiver go down her spine, her hand still in his hold, her pulse skittering right under his thumb.

"After what you did, you have no right to touch me," she stated heatedly. "Not right now, you don't. You have no right." She was terrified. She was terrified because of how she felt. She was terrified of the way the Captain was looking at her.

Something wild entered his eyes just as he pulled her hand up and stepped into her personal space. Her hand fisted under his grip and he tugged her forward using it, his face lowering to hers, so close she could make out the shades of gray in the blue, see the way his pupils blew, feel his breath on her face, the scent of scotch mixing with something woodsy.

"You're right," he spoke, the softness in his voice belying the fire in his eyes. "I'm not good enough for you and I don't deserve you. You deserve someone your own age, someone who will always make you happy and safe. I have no right. But I want to be done being the good guy and I want to be done doing the right thing: staying away from you."

Heart pounding, Maria twisted her hand again, to escape his hold, and he pressed her fist back, closer to her face, his gaze fiery.

Long seconds passed, her heart thundering in her chest, her body shaking with the intense sensations inside it, as he suddenly released her hand and took a step back.

"But I can't hurt you."

Tears escaped from Maria's eyes and her heart stopped. "You just did, Captain."

They gazed at each other for long minutes, suspended in time, their eyes never moving from the other, the fierceness in his eyes lingering with something she did not want to look too closely at, the cage rattling inside her as they stood just a few steps away. The Captain could barely restrain himself from wiping away her tears that were slowly streaming down her face and kiss her senseless to make it all better but at last it rose to the surface.

Finally she saw something break in him and the next second he was closing the gap between them.

She barely had time to react before their lips connected. The Captain cradled her head in his hands, brushing away her tears with his thumbs. The kiss was desperate and sweet but oh so short. The Captain pulled away from her to ask if she was okay until she said, "I can't stop anymore, I can't fight this anymore." And Maria pressed her lips back to his, her palms moving up to brace his strong shoulders, her lithe fingers digging into the fabric of his white collared shirt and the muscle beneath.

The kiss grew more and more heated as the Captain slanted his mouth against hers, licking into her mouth and bringing her closer and closer to him still.

Her waist hit the edge of the desk. Maria thought, no she knew this is a terrible idea. But it was getting harder and harder to hear her thoughts over the pounding in her ears.

His hands settled on her waist and the touch of his hands on her body set her aflame.

It was so addicting and she had dreamt of this for so long that Maria never wanted to stop.

Maria's palms slipped down his torso. She trailed her fingers, sweeping her hands along the tense lines of his abdomen she could feel through his shirt.

He trailed soft kisses down her chin, under her jaw and along her neck, sucking gently at the hollow of her throat. Maria tilted her head back with a gasp, panting. "Captain," she gasped out, unknowingly rolling her hips against his.

"Oh, Maria," he said into her ear, one of his hands slowly coming up from her hip to agonizingly slide up her stomach and finally palm her breast through her dress.

Her chest was heaving, and he was leaning her farther and farther over the desk until she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned her lips to his in a frenzy, tongues dueling for dominance as their hands roamed over each other.

Maria started to fiddle with the buttons on the Captain's shirt and he looked at her. "Maria."

"Hmm?" She asked, looking into his eyes.

"We, we should stop, before this goes too far." He took her hands in his, standing up straight.

Trying to slow her heartbeat down, Maria took in ragged breaths. Looking between him and herself, his hair was tousled and he was breathing hard. Her dress was rumpled and she was panting. _What had she done?_

She stepped away from the desk. "Oh my goodness, I am so sorry!"

"It's alright, we got a little carried away," he said, his voice rough.

Maria continued, "And we're not married and…"

Maria could have sworn she heard him say "yet" under his breath but she was probably imagining it. Her voice was cut off when he put his finger over her lips.

"You don't need to apologize Maria."

She looked into his eyes, the heat still there, and ran a hand through her hair, trying to smooth it. "I should, uh, go, and freshen up and put the children to bed."

He nodded. "I'll be there to say goodnight to them in a second too."

Maria walked out of his study, closing the door. _What had just happened?_ She allowed herself to rest against the wall for a second, closing her eyes.

She hadn't been able to help herself. He was so irresistible and after she learned that he returned the feelings she had even though she had been trying to suppress them, well…

She chalked it up to a moment of weakness and told herself it wouldn't happen again. She would go to confession and after being absolved of her sin, she would be fine to continue to be a nun. That was when Maria's thoughts nearly made her sick. She had completely forgotten she was going to be a nun. She would have to leave the Captain behind and leave the children behind.

Interrupting her thoughts, Gretl tugged on the back of Maria's skirt, making her jump.

"Oh, Gretl, darling, you scared me!"

"Fraulein Maria, don't be silly! I'm not scary," Gretl laughed, and in that moment, looking down at the happiness in Gretl's eyes and her little adorable face, Maria began to truly question everything. Could she really leave all this behind? Could she really be a nun?


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Okay, this chapter was tough so I'm kinda nervous about it…

For those of you who want M&G to get together, it's not this chapter. Sorry (not sorry. they have a lot to..go through before they do. they'll get together a lot in later chapters ;p)

I'm trying to update every Friday or Sunday, just so you all know to count on an update about once a week (:

XXX

The following evening, right after all the children had been put to bed, Maria had just exited Friedrich and Kurt's room after saying goodnight. A knock sounded on the door and Maria walked to open it, peering through the peephole first. Excitement coursed through her as she saw Axel and Klara. She threw open the door and Klara almost knocked her off her feet in a hug. "Maria, oh, it's so good to see you!" She took a step back, looking at Maria. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Maria responded with a soft smile. "Hi Axel!" She enveloped him in a hug too. It felt so good to finally see them.

"Come in, come in," Maria ushered them in and closed the door behind them. "We have so much to talk about!" Klara exclaimed.

Maria nodded. "What a lovely home," Klara sighed. Maria smiled in response.

"Where's Georg?" Axel asked.

"Um, you know, I'm not sure. I think he's in his study," Maria couldn't help the small blush that spread across her cheeks as she remembered exactly what she had done with him in his study the previous night. "I'll quick go get him!"

Just as Maria rounded the corner to the hallway where the Captain's study was, she nearly crashed into the Captain himself. Surprised, he put his hands on both of her arms.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She gasped. "I didn't see—"

The Captain interrupted her with a smile. "It's alright. Did I hear Axel and Klara's voices?"

Maria nodded, grinning, causing the Captain to smile widely as well. The two walked back to the living room where Axel and Klara were already sitting.

"Georg," Axel greeted him, standing up to shake his hand. Klara stood up as well, embracing him as she exclaimed, "It is wonderful to see you again!"

"You too," the Captain responded, and the four adults sat down.

"Did everything go okay? I'm so glad you guys got out in time," Maria said, "tell us everything!"

Axel said, "Well, long story short, Fritz, God bless the man, alerted us that the Nazis had our profiles on their list and were going to come for us. So we arranged a few flights through Hans and, well, here we are."

The Captain nodded gravely. "Well, it is good to have you here. I'm sorry you had to leave everything you had in Salzburg."

Klara shrugged. "It was fine. New York is exciting," she looked over, her eyes sparkling as she met Axel's eyes, "and we're glad to know two…well, I suppose 8 people here," she laughed.

Her smile disappeared as Axel asked Maria, "We didn't get to see you after they took you. Is…is everything alright?"

Maria didn't want to tell him about the occasional nightmares she had about it. She hadn't told anyone. She could handle them herself.

"Yes," she said, her body tense, "I got out in time and everything is just fine now."

"Good," Axel replied simply.

The Captain spoke, "Have you found a place to live yet?"

Axel and Klara looked at each other. "Well, no, not yet," Axel said. "We only flew in this morning and are planning to stay at a hotel the next couple of nights until we find a place."

"You're welcome to stay here until you do," Maria said, looking to the Captain for affirmation.

But he was shaking his head. "I would love to have you stay with us for the time, but I'm afraid we really don't have any spare rooms."

Klara responded, "Well, we're fine to stay in the hotel, it's not a problem at all, but if you did want us to stay, well, then Maria could just sleep in your room, Georg, and we could take Maria's room if that's alright with her." She was trying to fight back a smile, especially as the Captain swallowed and Maria's face turned pink.

Axel piped in, sharing a smirk with Klara. "Yes, it would save us a lot of trouble, Georg. But you know, we really do understand if that would cause too much trouble."

The Captain glared at both of them, knowing exactly what they were up to. He sighed. "You are welcome to stay here. Maria?" He looked over at her, and she fought the urge to get lost in his intense gaze. "What do you think? It is your room after all," he asked her.

"No, no, it's not a problem. We're kind of the reasons you had to leave Austria in the first place, it's the least we can do," Maria said, her heartbeat picking up speed.

"Thank you," Axel said, "we really appreciate it."

The Captain nodded, and he asked them to bring in their bags. Maria cleaned her room, taking out what she needed for the night to put in the Captain's room.

Once everything was situated, Axel and Georg had a nightcap in his study while Klara and Maria sat on her bed, talking.

"Maria," Klara said, folding her legs under her on the bed as she spoke. "There's a lot more you haven't told me, I know, and I know that you might not be ready to tell it all or even any of it, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you, okay?"

Maria nodded. "Thank you so much Klara. I…" All of a sudden it all just spilled out. "Well the Nazis took me and everything which I'm not really ready to talk about yet because I just want to forget that part. But, well, everything was fine after that…honestly, can I just talk to you about the Captain?" She looked up at Klara hesitantly.

Klara nodded. "Men can be pretty confusing, am I right?" she said, making Maria smile.

Maria said, "And the Captain is especially complicated, and I…I know I have feelings for him but I don't know what to do."

"Are you in love with him?" Klara asked unexpectedly.

Maria put a hand to her head. "I, I don't know!" she responded passionately. "I mean, there have been times we look at each other, and oh, Klara, I can hardly breathe! And there have been…moments of weakness on both of our parts, but—"

"Moments of weakness?" Klara prompted.

Maria looked down. "Well, we just…kissed" Klara broke out into a smile "but it was a moment of weakness and I told myself it won't happen again." Without a breath Maria continued, "and plus we've both been having these flashes, flashes from the night of the ball when we lost our memories because we were drugged with this self control drug, and the Captain thinks that these flashes are snippets of those lost memories, and if they are—"

Maria took a big breath. "Well, then, we…we slept together!" She blurted out.

Klara looked at her. "Maria. You slept together. As in, had sex?"

"Well, I don't know, I haven't exactly gotten to that part yet…"

"You haven't gotten to that part yet? Oh my God, Maria. What have you seen? Wait, don't answer that. How much have you seen?"

"Well, I mean, we both had our clothes off and…" Maria trailed off.

Klara looked at her. "This is serious. You two definitely slept together, especially if it was, what did you say, a self control drug?"

Maria looked at her, finally putting the pieces together. "Oh my goodness. If it affected our self control, then we couldn't control ourselves from—" Maria gasped, putting her head in her hands.

Klara nodded. "Wait the flashes out. You'll figure everything out as they come, I'm sure. But if you did, then we have to be concerned with the physical consequences, Maria!"

"Physical consequences? What do you- Ohhh!" Maria said, her eyes widening as she finally realized what she had completely forgotten about.

"It's only been a few weeks, so we won't know for a few more days," Maria whispered.

Klara nodded. "Let's hope God is with you on this one because being pregnant would throw a huge loophole in your life."

Maria shook her head. "I'll think about that when, if, I have to."

They sat in silence for a few moments, the weight of Klara's words settling in.

"Okaay, well, moving on…" Maria said.

Klara asked, "Okay, well why were your kisses moments of weakness? I mean, if you feel the way you do about the Captain, then why not kiss him and why not tell him how you feel? I mean, anyone can see he returns your feelings!"

"Klara," Maria sighed, "It's not that simple! I'm still on track to become a nun, and well, he even told me he cares about me, but then before that he took this other woman to bed—"

Klara's jaw dropped. "What?!"

"Yes!" Maria said. "He said this _friend_ was coming over, and then she ended up coming over really late and I was in my room but I heard everything!"

Klara's heart went out to Maria. "I'm not justifying his actions at all because that was an asshole move, but to make you feel better, he probably saw it as a way to release his frustration because you're kind of off-limits."

"I know. He was drunk and he told me it was meaningless when I confronted him about it and I know we're not technically together, but it still hurts."

Klara smiled softly. Then her eyes lit up with that mischievous glint that Maria was beginning to recognize too often. "Oh my goodness, Maria!"

"What?" Maria asked apprehensively.

"I just came up with an absolutely brilliant plan!" Maria waited for her to continue. She wasn't sure she was going to like it.

"You should totally get back at the Captain for what he did with that other woman!"

"Klara, I don't think…Revenge is not the answer."

"No, no, don't think of it as revenge. Think of it as…helping the Captain understand." Klara looked proud of herself at her answer.

"Okay?"

Klara continued, "Okay. Here's what I think you should do. I'll find a guy, a really attractive guy about your age, I'm sure I can find someone nice, maybe a teacher at the school not too far from here or maybe the…oh! I know, there is a really attractive doorman at your apartment building. He was here when we came in!"

"Klara!" Maria sounded scandalized. "I don't like where this is going, and come on, you're married!"

"Oh, pssh, I can still look at the menu, I just can't order from it. Besides, I love Axel too much."

Maria rolled her eyes. Only Klara would say something like that.

"Anyway, back to my brilliant plan. So I'll get doorman guy to come up here and Axel can take the children out and I'll take the Captain out somewhere and then I'll come back with the Captain and we'll walk in on you too kissing, sound good?"

"Klara! I can't kiss a stranger!"

"Oh, you don't have to actually kiss, you just have to be close enough to appear like you just were," Klara said.

Maria actually kind of liked Klara's idea. She was still angry with the Captain for sleeping with Lina and this…this would be perfect.

"Alright." Klara's face lit up, but Maria held up a finger. "I'll think about it."

Klara smiled. "Good! You know, I think everything will work out between you and the Captain, I really do. It might take a little while because of all…" she motioned, "this stuff, but I think you two are meant to be."

Maria blushed. "Thanks Klara. I missed you."

"I missed you too!" The women hugged each other and got off the bed. Klara got ready for bed in Maria's room while Maria entered the Captain's room.

XXX

The Captain was still in the study talking with Axel when Maria was all ready for bed, so she stood for a moment at the end of his king-sized bed, hesitating as she decided to sleep in it or grab some blankets and sleep on the chair that was in the corner of the room. She finally decided that she needed a good night sleep and climbed into the Captain's bed.

It smelled like him, and Maria tugged the comforter over herself, trying to surround herself. Surprisingly, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

XXX

 _Maria was running in a field until suddenly a stone wall appeared out of nowhere and she found herself in her cell from the Nazis building. Herr Zeller and her guard Gustav appeared, Gustav holding a knife. They slowly advanced closer and closer to her, and she kept backing up until her back hit the corner of the stone wall, pleading, "Don't hurt me, don't hurt me, please." Then Herr Zeller grabbed for her at the same time Gustav thrust the knife into her._

Maria woke up, out of breath and covered in a sheen of sweat. She felt a hand on her back and she jumped away until she realized it was the Captain sitting up next to her in the bed.

"Hey, hey, it's just me, it's just me," the Captain whispered.

Maria slowly came to her senses, realizing it was just a nightmare and she was in the Captain's bed, next to him, and safe.

She put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry," she breathed.

She was just able to see his face in the dark, and he looked heartbroken. "Don't apologize. Are you okay? You were tossing and turning and mumbling, 'don't hurt me'. Was it about the Nazis?" he asked softly, still rubbing circles on her back.

Maria nodded.

"Have you had nightmares every night since…?" he asked.

"Almost. It's been fine, I just wake up and calm down and am able to get back to sleep in a bit."

"Maria, are you sure it's fine? I have nightmares too and I know it's not easy," he said.

She looked at him. "You do? But you seem…well you seem so mentally…made of steel."

He chuckled.

Maria looked at him in shock as he opened up to her, "No, it's not easy seeing your friends die in front of you and knowing you couldn't save them and it's not easy being helpless as your wife dies and having to relive all the deaths and all the people you couldn't save every night." His voice was low and broke the slightest at the end.

Maria turned to him, tears escaping her eyes. "I am so sorry," she murmured.

"It's okay. I've learned to cope."

Silence passed for a minute before he spoke softly. "You know," he gazed at her, and she could see the passion in his eyes even through the darkness, "I didn't have any nightmares when I slept next to you the week leading up to the ball. Not a single one."

With a sharp intake of breath, Maria looked back at him. "Wow…I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, Maria," he whispered. "Do you think you can go back to sleep? It's the middle of the night."

"I'll be okay to go back to sleep, thank you," Maria replied.

They both relaxed, laying down on their pillows. Maria turned away from him in case she started crying, so he wouldn't see. Before the Captain could think too much about it, he swallowed and without a word scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Maria didn't say anything and didn't question it, she just molded her body to the front of his. With him right next to her and his arm around her, she felt so safe and it felt so right that she fell asleep immediately.

XXX

The Captain woke up at 7:00 on the dot the next morning. He slowly turned his head to look at Maria.

In hindsight, he should have realized he was a goner the moment he started watching her sleep. He's playing with fire, he knows it, but yet he can't seem to step away. For years he's prided himself in his self control and his ability to compartmentalize his feelings, but everything about Maria, and everything he's learned, everything that was forced on him about control especially in the navy, goes right out the window.

He knows it's wrong, these feelings he has for Maria, feelings he's almost spilled more times than he cares for. His life and her life don't allow for those feelings and he knows that, but what's worse is that she's aware of it now and he's unsure how long he can keep her at a distance.

Interrupting his thoughts, Maria slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She turned slowly to look at the Captain, and she smiled, rubbing her eyes. "Good morning," she said sleepily. The Captain smiled. "Good morning," he said back, something pulling at him deep inside. How he wished he could wake up every morning like this.

Maria got out of the bed and asked the Captain, "Uh, may I –" she awkwardly motioned towards his bathroom. She had already put her toothbrush and other necessities there as he had said she could but she didn't know if she should let him use the bathroom first, or…

"Go ahead," he nodded.

She moved to his bathroom and was about to enter when she doubled over, pain she now recognized shooting through her head.

 _She was laying on the Captain's bed, and she watched him as he kept his eyes on her as he kissed his way down her body._

 _She had completely forgotten about the mirror, and she felt a wave of wetness pool her at what she saw._

 _She saw in the mirror her own naked body, her hands fisted in the sheets and her legs wantonly thrown over the Captain's broad shoulders as his hands kept her hips down and his head moved at the juncture of her thighs._

Maria's eyes snapped open, and she leaned against the wall, gasping for breath in attempt to recover from the flash that had been more than she could handle right now.

The Captain was right next to her, she realized, asking if she was okay.

She looked at him, and then quickly shut her eyes, but the image she had just seen reappeared so she opened her eyes and looked down at the floor.

"It was just another flash," she gasped.

"What did you see?" he asked, his eyes dark.

"Captain!" she exclaimed, scandalized, her face feeling like it was on fire.

"Maria," he started, moving closer to her and backing her into the corner, "sooner or later we're going to have to face it and acknowledge that we had sex the night of the ball."

She sputtered, shocked at his bluntness, "Wh-what are you talking about? We-we can't…we didn't…"

"Maria."

She looked into his dangerously blue eyes that were now mere inches from her own.

"Zeller drugged us with a self-control drug. Klara said we made it home. Klara said we ran upstairs. We have flashes that are way too real to be our imaginations. Maria, just think. Limited self-control equals us doing what we've both wanted ever since the night I held the party."

Maria was shaking her head. "No, no, Captain…"

"You've never thought about…us?" he asked.

Maria remained silent. She couldn't. She couldn't speak.

"That's what I thought." He stated.

"Captain," Maria pleaded, "I, we were drugged, and it's never going to happen again, and please can we stop talking about this?"

"Yes, we can stop talking about this right now, Maria. But don't think for a second that either one of us are going to be able to stop thinking about what happened. I don't know how long the flashes will last, but just know that the fact that the universe, or God, brought us together, to this moment, over the past two thousand years, with billions of people on this planet has to mean _something_."

He looked at her, intensity smoldering between their gazes, and slowly backed away from her.

Maria finally willed her legs to move and she ran into the bathroom, shutting herself off from the Captain and…everything.

She closed her eyes for a minute, trying to center herself. She wanted so badly to give in. She wanted to give in, and just give herself to the Captain and tell him that she wanted him, and she wanted to have a life _with him._ But she couldn't. He didn't want it. And she couldn't. She was supposed to give herself to God, and she couldn't betray God by giving him up to be with the Captain.

She took a breath and started to brush her teeth. Seconds after, she quickly spit out the toothpaste and ran to the toilet, hurling the contents of her stomach into it.

The door opened and the Captain ran in, crouching down next to her. He put a hand on the back of her neck. "Uggh, I feel terrible," Maria rasped, not even having the energy to tell him to leave.

"I'm sorry," the Captain said.

Maria nodded, and shakily stood up. "I'll be fine."

"Maria. You're obviously sick. Just take a day off and stay in bed."

She tried to protest but the Captain shut her down, leading her back to his bed, pulling back the covers for her. She climbed into his bed, eyes fluttering closed. He pulled the covers over her, using everything he had to not bend down and kiss her forehead. "I'm so tired," she said, "I'm tired of everything that's going on inside my head and how I feel like I'm fighting myself." Her eyes opened. "I think you understand, Captain."

He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Go to sleep, I'll worry about everything for today."

She smiled, replying with a simple "Thank you."

He nodded, looking back once, as he walked away to start the day himself.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thanks for the amazing responses to this story! It helps keep me going (:

Ahhh this chapter is sooo huge.

You guys are going to hate me so much for the end of it. But I bet none of you are going to guess how it'll turn out…

XXX 

Maria fell asleep and stayed in bed until noon when she finally woke. She jumped up when she heard commotion outside the bedroom door, and quickly got dressed, feeling much better.

She ran out to the entryway, where all the children were soaking wet but wrapped in towels.

"Fraulein Maria! Are you feeling better?" they asked.

She nodded mutely, and soon after found her voice. "What on earth have you all been up to?"

Father took us swimming!" they exclaimed.

Before she could respond, the Captain came through the door with Marta holding his left hand and Gretl holding his right.

Maria could only gape at him.

"Fraulein, hello!" he said, his eyes twinkling wickedly.

"Captain," she greeted him, trying not to stare at his body since he was wearing only swim trunks and a towel draped across his neck. She finally couldn't take it and snuck a peek only to jerk her eyes back up to his, crimson spreading across her cheeks after seeing his tanned, built upper body.

He smirked at her but quickly switched gears as he asked, "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "You took the children to the pool?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I do know a thing or two about water." The children laughed and the Captain smirked at her again, making her blush even more.

"How was it?" she asked the children.

Gretl ran up to Maria and all the children started speaking at once. The rest of the children finally quieted as Gretl happily told Maria, "Father taught me how to swim, well doggy-paddle," Maria smiled, "and I finally swam by myself without Father's help!" Gretl looked so proud of herself.

Maria looked up at the Captain. "For a couple seconds," he mouthed, winking. She grinned.

"Oh, it was so much fun, Fraulein Maria!" Friedrich said and everyone nodded.

Brigitta spoke up, "You should come with us next time, Fraulein!"

Maria nodded. "Yes, I'd love to!"

She looked up to see the Captain still looking at her, the gaze of his blue eyes making her feel hotter and hotter.

Little did she know, he had had a flash earlier that morning and had seen her naked, writhing body under his as he slowly thrusted into her. He wasn't that surprised that they had _actually done it_ , to be honest, but he couldn't deny it deeply affected him.

"Well, should we have lunch?" Maria asked, distracting herself and the Captain as well.

Kurt led the rampage of all seven children into the kitchen and Maria and the Captain followed, smiles on their faces.

XXX

That night, Klara caught Maria and told her, "Hey, ready to…help the Captain…understand?"

Maria laughed. "Klara, I don't know."

"Oh, come on Maria, it's not going to be that big of a deal. Honestly, I think it will just force the Captain to tell you his true feelings," Klara said.

Maria felt really conflicted. Deep down, she knew she shouldn't. Later on, she would admit that her emotions got the best of her this time. "Alright, fine."

Klara smiled mischievously and asked Maria to follow her into her room.

Klara made a script and said she would talk to the doorman that night. "Let's execute this tomorrow night," she said. "Right now, let's quick talk to the doorman. I'm already friends with him," Klara smiled widely, leaving Maria to shake her head.

The two women quickly walked down to the first floor of the apartment building and Klara walked right up to the doorman. 

"Luke!" She exclaimed.

"Hi Klara," he answered with a smile. Maria looked at him. Klara was right, he was cute.

"This is Maria. Maria, this is Luke."

"Hi," Maria said, smiling. "Hey," he answered back.

"So…we have a favor to ask of you," Klara started.

"Go for it," Luke said, looking between the two women.

"Well, Maria here is in a bit of a conundrum…" Klara explained everything to Luke who was nodding understandingly throughout the whole thing.

"Actually, that's kind of brilliant. I had a girlfriend last year, actually, and she cheated on me, so I wish I could have done this," he laughed, "not that it would've made any difference between us, but, still."

"Alright, it's all settled!" Klara clapped her hands together and explained more details.

XXX

The next afternoon, Axel took the children out to explore Central Park, and Maria was left in the apartment, shaking in her shoes, as Klara asked the Captain to accompany her to a flower shop next to their apartment and seconds later Luke came in.

Little did the Captain know, the shop would be closed and they would come immediately back up to find Maria and Luke.

Later, when they did find the shop closed, Klara and the Captain came back up to the apartment; Klara pushed open the door, and she and the Captain entered the apartment.

Tidal waves of anger, jealousy, and possessiveness hit the Captain at the sight of the two before him. He froze, unable to understand which emotion to deal with first. A guy, someone he didn't even know, had Maria pressed up against the wall. She had her arms around his neck as he pressed butterfly kisses on her jaw. One of his grabby hands was slowly sliding lower and lower on her back and the other was on her neck.

Even worse, she looked like she was enjoying it. When had she met him? How did she know him?

"Ah…" She was making noises, making faces, which to an outsider would have looked as if she was enjoying the advances made by the man she was with. Yet, the Captain knew better. He knew those weren't the noises she usually made when someone, well, he was kissing her. He knew they weren't happy sounds, he knew she wasn't happy. Or maybe that was the anger in him speaking.

"Oh my God!" Klara fake-gasped.

"Captain!" Maria gasped, meeting his eyes and then quickly looking away. "You…you're not supposed to be here!" She stuttered out the first line from Klara's script.

"Who is he? I thought you said there wasn't anyone in your life!?" Luke said, remembering his line and executing it perfectly.

"Get your hand off her!" The Captain growled, moving closer. He could only see red, and besides the red, he could only see the hands on Maria that were not his.

And all he wanted to see was for the owner of those hands to be standing as far away as possible from her.

"She doesn't seem to mind," Luke said.

"Captain," Klara said, warningly, just as he was about to step forward and rip the other man's hands away from Maria. He was about to listen to her until his emotions got the better of him and he stepped forward. Two strides and he had torn the two fake lovers apart and had the man by his throat.

"Get out of my apartment. I never want to see you again. Do you understand?"

Luke nodded and scurried out the door, throwing a backward glance at Klara, winking.

Klara said, "I'll, uh, see him out," and she followed him, closing the door behind her.

"What the hell Maria? Who is he?"

Maria couldn't help but find this a little bit funny and decided to keep playing along. "He and I are very close, he's the doorman to this building, that's how we've gotten to know each other."

The Captain moved closer and closer to her, until her back hit the wall and there was nowhere else for her to go. She could see the tightness in his jaw and the wildness in his eyes, and she had to admit, it scared her.

Instead of coming closer like she anticipated, the Captain took a few steps back.

Breathing hard, he asked, "Are you happy with him? Do you love him?"

She stammered, "Uh, he's nice to me…um, our relationship is…calm and, uh, nice…"

The Captain couldn't take it. "You know, I would let it go if you said you were happy with him and you loved him because all I want is for you to be happy. But you know what, I don't think you are."

Maria looked at him, eyes wide and knees weak. She never expected him to react like this.

He took a step closer. "Love is not supposed to be boring, and calm, and nice. Good god, if all you can say about you and him is that it's nice…" the Captain shook his head, his hands in tight fists.

Continuing with even more passion, his voice became louder and louder, "Love is supposed to be wild, it's supposed to be crazy, and most of all, it's supposed to be passionate! It's not supposed to be safe, it's not supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be worth it! There are so many things in this world that are dull, and love cannot be one of them! What the hell do you know about love?"

Maria's eyes widened, her cheeks pink, and she spoke the words before she could think, yelling back, "Not much, but enough to know that you weren't in love with Lina and—"

He cut her off, "Is this what this is all about? Lina? Maria, I never said I was in love with her!"

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing in front of her.

"What do you want? What do you want me to say?"

She shook her head, heart in her throat, unable to speak.

He was now just a foot away from her, staring into her eyes and dead still. "Did you want me to say I'm in love with you? Is that it?"

Maria's eyes widened and her breath caught. "Captain, I—"

"Fine, I'll say it. I'll say it because it's true, goddamnit. Maria, I am in love with you!"

Maria's vision became blurry and she realized she was crying.

"But I never wanted to say it because we can't be together and it would tear the both of us up because words make it real. But you know what, I am so sick of fighting this. Because all I want to do is hold you, and every single time I look at you I want you, and I don't just want you once, I want you forever."

His chest was heaving with every breath he took, and Maria looked at him, her eyes conveying every single emotion she was feeling, realizing tears were now streaming down her face.

"Captain," she couldn't breathe, not knowing how to handle her feelings or what words she could use to express them.

"Maria," he said, before she could say anything.

The two couldn't speak anymore about their feelings because words couldn't describe them; they could only act.

And the next thing she knew his lips were on hers. And holy hell was it passionate. Maria's back hit the wall and the Captain pinned her hands above her head, kissing her like it was the last time he could.

Maria responded with just as much fervor, even deepening the kiss like she had learned the first time he had kissed her.

He released her hands and placed his hands on the wall next to her head, caging her in and pressing his body against hers. She threw her hands around his neck and kept kissing him.

The two separated for air, their lips still a paper's width apart and their breaths mingling, both gasping for air.

"I'm sick of fighting this too," she breathed, "I can't do it anymore."

Backing away from her, he kept his eyes on her but turned away for a split second to lock the apartment door.

"No one has the key," he said, sliding his suit coat off and throwing it on the chair.

He walked closer and closer to Maria, and she ran to him, unable to bear any more seconds without him pressed to her.

She crashed her lips into his, and he pressed a palm to her back, his other hand moving to the zipper on the back of her dress and sliding it down.

Standing in only her slip, Maria could feel the Captain's every muscle pressed against her body. His hands moved from her waist, over her stomach, to her back, brushing lightly over her breasts, and up to caress her face. She furiously worked the buttons undone on his dress shirt and yanked it off his arms along with his undershirt.

They kept kissing, Maria's hands roaming across the Captain's chest, shoulders, and muscular arms and his exploring her body like he couldn't get enough.

A sharp knock at the door jolted both back to reality. Maria felt like she had been hit by a tidal wave. She frantically looked at the Captain. _What had they done? What would they have done if the knock hadn't interrupted them?_

Maria broke her eyes away from him and ran to grab her dress of the floor, hastily putting it on. Meanwhile, the Captain rushed to put his shirt and suitcoat back on, and the two ran hands through their hair. The Captain looked over at Maria. Her lips were swollen and her cheeks were flushed; the children wouldn't notice but Klara might.

"Captain, we'll talk tonight," Maria gasped out in a ragged whisper. He nodded, and didn't have time for second thoughts as he unlocked the door.

It was the children with Axel, and Klara was behind them as well.

"Fraulein Maria, Father!" the children shouted, all wanted to tell them about Central Park.

Maria glanced up at Klara who caught her eyes and raised her eyebrows, winking. Maria swallowed and returned her attention to the children.

XXX

That night, an important meeting came up for the Captain, and he had to leave after dinner, saying he hoped to be back around 10:00 that night.

After the children were in bed, Klara met Maria in the kitchen.

"So," Klara started, a smile spreading across her face, "I knew my plan would work."

"Oh my goodness Klara, that was a terrible plan! I don't know why I did it, it goes against everything I…everything I stand for," Maria said.

"Okay, besides that, what did the Captain do? Obviously it was good, because you looked like you were glowing when we got here."

Maria gave her a side-eye and filled up a water glass.

"Well, you're kind of always glowing when you're around him, so…but tell me what he said! Did he kiss you?"

Maria tried to laugh it off. "This is an interrogation, Klara. Are you sure you're not a lawyer?"

"Oh, pssh, stop avoiding my question."

Maria was silent, and Klara said, "Oh! That means he _did_ kiss you!"

Maria blushed, and Klara fist-pumped. "Yes! Slowly but surely, I will get the two of you together."

"Klara…" Maria said warningly.

Then something seemed to snap inside of Maria. "Klara, he told me he loves me, and I don't know what to do!" her voice was full of anguish.

Klara gasped and put her hand over her heart. "He told you?! Wow, finally!" Maria was still looking at Klara for guidance.

"You know, I think you should talk to him tonight when he gets home. Just be 100% honest with him about what you're feeling. Even if you don't know how to describe it, just talk to him. Okay, Maria?"

She nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay."

Klara started to walk out of the kitchen and as she did, she said jokingly over her shoulder, "By the way, at your wedding, I'm taking all the credit."

Maria laughed, but it made her think. It made her think about the Captain's words and how he said he didn't want her once, he wanted her forever. Could they ever make this work? Could she give up being a nun? The Captain said forever. That terrified her at the same time as it ignited a flame in her.

XXX

The Captain hadn't gotten home as early as he said he would, so Maria lay in bed wide awake alone in the dark.

As she lay there, Maria came to a heart-stopping realization. It seemed to hit her at once. Although maybe she had always known, since the day the Captain blew that silly whistle. She had to go to the abbey. She couldn't be a nun, not when there was a chance to find out what God had in store for her with the Captain, not in a convent.

About half an hour later, the door slowly opened and the Captain came in.

"Captain?" Maria asked, propping her head up on her hand.

"Maria? You're still awake?" the Captain asked.

"Mmhmm. How did the meeting go?"

"It went well. I'm going to get ready for bed and I'll be back in a moment."

She sunk back into the pillows.

When the Captain came back, he climbed into bed and Maria started talking hesitantly.

"Captain?" she started to whisper.

"Hmm?" he whispered back.

"Did you really mean what you said earlier today? I mean, I was thinking, and are you doing all…this because you feel some sort of obligation because I helped you at the ball and then, uh, everything with the night of the ball?"

"No!" the Captain responded passionately. "Maria, even if none of that had happened, I would still be in love with you."

Maria teared up.

"Okay, because I came to the realization that…that I can't be a nun." The words seemed to hang in the air.

"You can't?" the Captain repeated.

"No, at least not right now. Maybe I'll find later that _is_ God's calling for me, but I have to at least consider the possibility of another window."

"Another window?" the Captain's brain shut off the second Maria said she couldn't be a nun.

"Yes, the Reverend Mother says when the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window. And, well, Captain…there's this connection between us, and it makes me so confused because…I've never felt like this before."

The Captain found her hand and grasped it tightly.

"I have to go to the abbey to seek counsel tomorrow, but I really think that I can't be a nun."

"Well, now it's my turn to ask: Do you feel obligated to let go of the convent because of what happened today and the night of the ball?" the Captain asked. "If so, know that I want you to do what you think God is calling you to do. I want you to do what will make you happy, even if it isn't with me."

"Oh, goodness, no, not at all!" Maria responded, squeezing the Captain's hand tighter.

"Good," the Captain responded. "I know it's all confusing, but we can sort through it together. We can find our way together."

Maria relaxed, a smile on her face.

The Captain chuckled, lightening the mood. "You know, I can't believe we're sleeping in the same bed."

"Me neither!" Maria laughed. "This is ridiculous. Ridiculously improper. Axel and Klara are crazy. We're crazy."

The Captain thought to himself, it was miraculous he had made it this far, honestly, because it was agonizing sleeping, just sleeping through the night next to the woman he loves and he didn't know how much longer he could last.

XXX

The next day, everything changed.

Maria woke up before the Captain and went to go brush her teeth. At the taste of mint, her stomach turned and she threw up, just like she had the day before and the day before that.

Hunched over the toilet, panic swept through Maria. Morning sickness meant… She couldn't even think. Her cycle was off. And it is never off. She was supposed to have gotten her period two days ago but she still hadn't gotten it. Her mind went on overdrive. She had been feeling more exhausted than usual lately. Was all this pointing towards pregnancy?

It couldn't be, Maria decided to herself fiercely. This was not going to be her life. Unmarried, a nun-to-be, pregnant with her…employer's child…

Maria's breathing quickened. Deep down, she knew. No matter how many excuses, no matter how much she could attribute the throwing up and the exhaustion and the missed cycle to other factors, she knew. She was nearly confident that she was carrying Captain von Trapp's child.

She couldn't wrap her mind around the idea.

There was a tiny life growing inside of her…there had to be.

Her body was making another human being. Did she want that baby? Well, yes. There was no way she was going to give it up, Maria knew that much.

A baby. A baby that was half her and half the Captain. Their baby. A perfect mix of the both of them. The thought should have made her happy.

And, in a strange way, it did.

But in the meantime, it did not. They say you never are really ready to become a parent. It couldn't be truer in Maria's case.

She wanted to cry. It wasn't even her fault. It wasn't because she had given in and slept with the Captain. It was because she and the Captain had both been _drugged_. Drugged with that stupid Nazi drug.

Maria couldn't control her thoughts anymore. She wouldn't have been drugged, she wouldn't have slept with the Captain, she wouldn't _be pregnant_ if the Captain had never dragged her into that mess. She didn't want to blame the Captain, she knew he didn't deserve it, and deep down, she knew it was no one's fault except the Nazi's because she had clearly _chosen_ to go with the Captain. But she couldn't control her emotions that well. Not after thinking that she was going to have a baby.

It couldn't have been worse timing for the Captain to enter the bathroom, a look of concern written on his face. "Are you—"

Eyes red-rimmed, Maria shouted from her curled up position on the floor, "Get away from me!" Her voice broke, "Please." The Captain looked so surprised and so taken aback that she couldn't look at him. "Just please leave me alone."

The Captain slowly backed up, leaving the bathroom, his heart dropping with each step. _What was wrong, and why was she mad at him?_

He went out into the hallway and bumped into Klara.

She immediately knew something was off. "Georg. What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" he shouted, frustration boiling over, "Maria is in there, obviously sick, not even able to look at me, yelling at me to get away from her! I don't know how to make her better! She's never been like this, I don't know…"

Klara gaped at him.

"I never want her to be hurt, you have to know that," he pleaded.

"I know, I know," Klara told him over her shoulder, already running towards his room, muttering curse words the whole way.

She flung open the door to find Maria leaning against the bathroom wall, sitting on the floor. Klara kneeled next to her, and all of a sudden tears escaped Maria's eyes and she couldn't stop them.

"Klara," she cried, "I have to be pregnant."

Klara looked at her and all she could do was wrap her in a hug. "Oh, Maria."

"I've been having morning sickness for the past couple days and I was supposed to get my period days ago but I still haven't!" Maria sobbed into Klara's hair. "What am I supposed to do?"

Klara leaned back to look at her. She had no idea but started with, "Hey, we don't know you're pregnant for sure yet. But it kind of looks inevitable at this point." Maria shut her eyes.

Klara quickly added, "Maria, hey. It's not the end of the world, okay? I'll help you get through this, and I'll help you every single step of the way, I promise. You are not alone in this."

Maria looked back at her, gratitude in her eyes.

"I have a hunch you're not going to like this, but you have to tell Georg."

Maria shook her head, new tears sliding down her cheeks. "No, Klara, I can't."

"I know this is all crazy and this is all new, and everything, but you _have_ to tell him. Yes, he will freak out too. But you guys can go crazy _together_ and after he finds out and lets his emotions out, I guarantee you that he will be your rock throughout all of it. Maria, he loves you too much to do anything except be by your side the whole way."

Maria felt like she had been electrocuted. She couldn't handle this. She couldn't handle the Captain's feelings for her, her feelings for him, and now _their_ baby that she was carrying.

She crumpled even more inwards. "Can I have a second to myself please Klara? This is a lot to…it's a lot." Her entire life was changing.

"Sure, Maria," Klara said, standing up and squeezing Maria's hand. "I know this is the last thing you want, but trust me, it's going to save you in the long run. I'll give you a week to wrap your head around this and tell Georg. If you don't tell him in a week, I will," she said gently but firmly.

Maria was silent as Klara left. The only thing left for her to do is leave. She can't stay here. She's already been a burden to the Captain and his family. She can't possibly throw this on top of the pile. She can't ruin the Captain's reputation like this.

She wonders if she'll break it to the Captain right before she runs or if she'll run and Klara will have to break it to him after. But she does know for certain that all she can do is run.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I couldn't leave you guys hanging too long (: Although this cliffhanger is kind of rough too…sorry…

XXX

Maria skipped breakfast and rejoined the children just before lunch, needing to take her mind off of her thoughts about this baby she thought she was carrying. She still couldn't believe it was real.

The Captain was working for the day and wouldn't be home until dinner, thank God, Maria thought. She couldn't face him again.

"Can we have a stay at home day and read?" Brigitta pleaded.

"Oh, I think we should get some fresh air while it's so nice out and you don't have to be in school, don't you think so?" Maria countered.

"I suppose so," Brigitta sighed, and all the other children smiled with hopeful looks on their faces.

"What are we going to do today?" Louisa asked.

"Could we go to Central Park and get ice cream on the way again?" Kurt suggested.

"I don't see why not," Maria said, smiling. "How about we eat lunch and take the afternoon off today, outside, since you've been cooped up inside all morning with your studies?"

The children nodded and the eight proceeded to do just that.

Dinner that night was terrible. Maria barely said a word, and the Captain barely touched his food.

Klara was trying to make it better, exchanging a knowing look with Axel – obviously she had told him that Maria was pregnant, not that Maria minded as long as he didn't mention it to the Captain – and Klara asked, "Tell me all about your afternoon! It was beautiful out today, it must have been wonderful!"

The children excitedly told her the things they had seen and done, and the unbearable tense dinner for Maria was finally over.

She read with the children afterwards, and the absence of the Captain made her insides explode. With what, she wasn't sure. Sadness, anger, love, despair, or most likely a combination.

Clearly he was staying away like she had asked of him.

She put the children to bed earlier than usual, exhausted and ready for bed herself.

"Maria," Klara stopped her in the hallway. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine," Maria said.

Klara pulled her in for a hug. "No, you're not fine."

The two women stood in the middle of the dimly light hallway, arms wrapped around each other, hoping to find and provide comfort.

"You must be exhausted," Klara said as they took a step back.

Maria nodded. "Thank you Klara. I don't know what I would do without you. You're right, I'm going to bed. I can't deal with any more right now."

"You know, Axel and I can stay at a hotel tonight if you need some space from Georg," Klara offered.

"No, I can't throw you out like that. Besides, I'll be asleep before the Captain even comes to bed," Maria said, the words tasting foreign on her tongue.

Klara nodded, refraining from the opportunity she had to tease Maria about the Captain. "Okay. But just so you know Axel and I will be moving out soon, we think we found an apartment."

Maria said, "Oh, good for you." But she really couldn't process anything more, and Klara seemed to sense that.

"Goodnight Maria. Feel free to come get me if you need anything."

Maria smiled softly and went into the Captain's room.

Maria lay in bed that night, sleep unable to take her despite the fact she was exhausted. Her mind wouldn't stop. She laid on her back, hesitantly bringing her hands to rest on her stomach. How could there be a baby growing inside her? Images of herself holding a tiny baby in her arms with the Captain next to her, his arm around her shoulders and the other hand holding the baby's small hand assaulted her thoughts. Maria blinked them away.

And of course that was when the Captain entered the room. She didn't move a muscle, and he disappeared into the bathroom.

Minutes later, she saw him move towards the bed, but instead of climbing in, he just quietly grabbed a pillow and set it on the large comfortable chair in the corner of the room. She turned in the bed to see him sit down in the chair. His head snapped up at her movements.

"What are you doing?" She asked before he could speak, her curiosity overriding her other emotions.

"I'm sleeping in the chair tonight, I…I wanted to give you space since you said you needed some," the Captain said, struggling to speak.

"Maria, will you tell me what's wrong?" he asked, only to be met with deafening silence.

"Is it something I did? Did I take things too far yesterday? I am so sorry, I never meant to…I never meant to make you uncomfortable or scared or…" he pleaded.

"What can I do to make it better?" he asked.

"Nothing," she whispered. "And it's not about yesterday. We can talk about it later."

"Later?" the Captain whispered, but the tone in his voice indicated it was about to become more than a whisper. "What happened to the woman who told me what she thought I needed to hear even when I told her that it wasn't the right time?"

"Maria, whatever it is, just tell me, and we can work through it together. Please."

Letting out a shaky breath, she couldn't help the tears that leaked down the side of her face. She turned away from the Captain and, sniffing, she moved her hand up to her face to wipe away the tears.

The Captain stood up from the chair, coming to sit on the side of the bed. "Maria."

She didn't want to turn over. She didn't want to, but something in his voice made her.

She looked at him and tears cascaded down her cheeks. "It's too much," she cried. "I just…"

"Can I…can I hold you?" he asked. "…Only if that will help ease…whatever it is that's troubling you. Just tell me what to do and I will."

Maria couldn't handle it. She _needed_ to be in his arms but she knew if she did she wouldn't be able to leave tomorrow. And she had to leave tomorrow. It felt like her heart was shattered glass as she said, "Not tonight, I…I can't." She turned around, unable to face him, and the Captain was silent as he moved back to the chair and tried to fall asleep.

Suffice to say, neither had a restful night.

XXX

When Maria woke up the next morning, the Captain was already gone. She got up out of bed and started getting ready only to be stopped by a now familiar wave of nausea.

The Captain was present at breakfast but neither he nor Maria made eye contact.

That day, the skies were dark and rain poured down.

 _How fitting,_ Maria thought.

With her heart in her throat, she went over the children's studies with them in the morning and the eight of them had lunch.

That afternoon, Klara had offered to take the children to a museum to give Maria a break.

Or, the perfect opportunity to leave since she was the only one in the apartment for the whole afternoon.

She would head to the convent, seek counsel, and decide where to go from there.

Maria decided to pack her things and then write a quick note to Axel, Klara, the children, and the Captain. How she could leave ten people she loved behind, she didn't know. Willing God to give her strength, Maria grabbed her bag, opening it on the Captain's bed, and began packing her clothes.

It was just Maria and the sound of the pattering of the rain on the windows.

She was folding the last skirt she had when the door to the bedroom opened.

Maria jumped, stepping quickly back and putting a protective hand over her stomach.

She let her hand drop and swallowed hard when she realized it was the Captain.

He stood in the doorway, looking between her and her packed bag on the bed.

"What. Are. You. Doing." He asked, his voice terrifyingly quiet, but his eyes flashing.

Maria didn't know what to do but words seemed to fly smoothly out of her mouth. "I'm leaving, Captain," she replied quietly.

"Leaving?" he yelled. "Over my dead body." He continued, "Why are you leaving? Are you unhappy here? Good god, you've done so much for this family, you can't just leave me! You can't leave the children! You haven't even said good-bye or given us warning or even told me why!"

"I'm leaving because I'm pregnant!" Maria screamed.

The Captain stopped, and time stilled. Even the raindrops against the windows seemed to fade away.

The breath was completely knocked out of him. "From…from our night together?" He whispered.

Maria nodded, tears leaking out the corners of her eyes.

He closed the large gap between them, coming up to her so he was only a foot away. Staring at her still flat stomach, he whispered hoarsely, "I'm the father. And you're the mother. We have a baby."

Maria swallowed. "And that's why I have to go, Captain. I've already been—"

The Captain interrupted her, anger quickly overcoming his awe and disbelief. "But you didn't think to tell me? You were just going to run away? Maria, you can't run away from your problems or hardships, you have to face them! And I know that I'm the last person who can tell you that, but if there's _anything_ I've learned, especially from you, it's that!"

He kept going. "Maria, I have worked every single day to keep the promise I made to you, to not shut you or my children out, and you're the one to shut me out about this?! I'm the father, I have a right to know! My God, that's _our_ baby, not just yours!"

Maria had no idea how she was still standing. Silence fell between the two, and Maria finally broke it with, "I didn't…I don't know how to handle it. This was never supposed to happen. I was never supposed to leave the abbey, I was never supposed to sleep with you, I was never supposed to fall in love with you, and I was never supposed to become pregnant!"

The Captain's heart stopped for a split second as she said she had fallen in love with him. "Maybe you didn't think you were supposed to," he said softer, "but maybe it happened because it was meant to happen."

"It was meant to happen? Captain, I…" Maria trailed off. Tears streamed down her face as she asked him in a broken voice, "What does God want from me? Does He even exist? What have I done wrong?"

"Maria, you've done nothing wrong. Did you think I was going to be upset with you because you're pregnant? Did you think I was going to throw you out, or…"

"No, I…I don't know! I didn't want you to feel obligated to me and I didn't want to become a burden to you," she admitted.

He shook his head. "You will never be a burden to me, Maria. But you didn't even think to talk to me about it?"

"No, I was…I am scared," Maria replied, her voice wavering.

She sat down on the bed. "It's not even like it's my, or our faults! We were drugged, for goodness sakes!"

Before either of them could say another word, the Captain jumped. "Oh my God, we have to go."

She stood up. "Excuse me?"

"Maria," he looked at her dead in the eyes, "We have to go to the doctor. Who knows if the drug affected-" his voice broke "-our baby. We have to get you tested."

She looked back at him with wide eyes. "Oh no!"

He grabbed her hand, and the two stopped for a second. Maria looked at where their hands were joined. The Captain half-expected her to pull away, but she tightened her grip around his hand and they flew out the door.

XXX

About an hour later, Maria was seated in the chair in the small, cramped doctor's office. The Captain was standing next to her, still holding her hand and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. Waiting for the doctor to enter, Maria felt shaky all over and the Captain still couldn't quite process everything that had happened in the past hour.

The doctor entered and greeted Maria and the Captain.

"What brings you here today?" he asked.

"I think I'm pregnant…I, uh, all the signs point towards pregnancy, and I just wanted to get tested and we wanted to make sure the baby is okay."

The Captain included, "We recently moved here from Austria, and both of us were drugged by the Nazis there. We just want to make sure the drug didn't affect Maria."

If the doctor was surprised, he didn't show it. "Alright. I'm going to ask you to use the restroom and pee into this cup," he reached over and handed her a cup. "You don't know for sure that you're pregnant, do you?"

"Well, no, I haven't gotten a test done, but I have morning sickness and I missed my…" Maria's face turned bright red "my cycle."

The Captain wanted to smack himself in the face. How had he not seen it? How had he not recognized the signs? He was even with Maria when she was throwing up those mornings.

"Okay, well this test will let us know that you are definitely pregnant. Then I'll draw some blood and we will run some advanced tests on your blood to test the effects of the drug."

Maria nodded, taking the cup from the doctor's hand and leaving the room to go to the bathroom, face flaming. Why did the Captain of all people have to be here for this?

She came back and gave the cup to the doctor. He placed it in a small white box and labeled it.

"Thank you, we'll know by tomorrow about all these tests, so you'll have to stop in tomorrow for another appointment and I will let you know what the tests tell us," the doctor said with a reassuring smile on his face.

He reached up to a cupboard and pulled out a small white kit. "Alright, I'm just going to take some blood from your arm, okay? It'll be quick."

Maria nodded, laying back in the chair. The doctor cleaned her arm and pulled the cap off the needle. Maria saw it and swallowed, looking with fear in her eyes to the Captain. He grabbed her other hand and whispered, "Hey, it's okay. It'll be over before you know it. Just look at me."

Maria did. She kept her eyes on the Captain's blue ones, somehow seeing everything in them – fear, uncertainty, and love.

She winced as the needle entered her skin but it was soon over.

"I'm sorry we can't give you any definitive answers today," the doctor apologized, breaking the gaze between Maria and the Captain.

"We'll know by tomorrow, so stop back tomorrow."

"Thank you, doctor," the Captain said, and they got up to leave.

XXX

That night, Klara and Axel told Maria and the Captain that they had found an apartment and would no longer need to stay at their apartment.

Maria was shocked to find her heart drop in disappointment. She'd have to sleep in her own room now, without the Captain.

That night was another restless one for both her and the Captain. They lay awake in their separate beds, separated by a wall, thinking about their relationship and the doctor's visits.

XXX

The next day, Axel and Klara took the children out for the afternoon while the Captain and Maria returned to the doctor's office.

Maria sat in the now familiar doctor's office chair with the Captain standing by her side once more.

The doctor entered, an unreadable expression on his face. "Hello again!" he greeted them.

"Hello," Maria said quickly, anxious to find out what he had to say.

The doctor stood at the foot of her chair, facing her and the Captain.

"Well, first things first: the pregnancy test. Maria, you are not pregnant, I'm sorry. There were no signs of a hormone called hCG in your urine, meaning you are most definitely not pregnant."

The Captain and Maria looked at him blankly. "Excuse me?" the Captain said.

Both their hearts were in their stomachs.

"You are not pregnant, Maria. I think the signs that you had are attributed to the drug. The bad news is that the drug is still in your system."

The Captain grabbed Maria's hand, squeezing it.

"The good news is that it's not going to do any real damage. It should be out of your system in a couple of months."

Maria didn't know what to do. It was too much, she had a hard time processing all of it. How was she not pregnant?

"I still don't understand. I'm not pregnant?"

The doctor shook his head. "No, you're not. I know this is probably coming as quite the shock to you both, and I'm sorry. Please know that you will be able to have children in the future, this drug won't affect it."

Maria's face turned pink and the Captain's heart beat picked up speed. Maria was about to tell him they weren't like that, "Oh, we're—" the Captain squeezed her hand and cut her off "we're grateful, thank you doctor." It would be too complicated to explain everything.

She looked at him, trying to remember how to breathe. The Captain was holding his breath too. What was going on?

The doctor kept talking. "We do have a couple more things to talk about, though, I think you should know some more about what we found out regarding this drug. I'm not sure you know half of what we do about it after testing your blood."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N:

Quick response to reviewer "honest as I can be" since you disabled your PM feature:

Appreciate your thoughts but just wanted to clarify that they _did_ run urine tests in the 1930s – according to the NIH, doctors then actually injected women's urine into rabbits which induced ovulation if hCG levels were present, indicating a woman's pregnancy. They knew about hCG levels and did conduct urine tests. Although these tests weren't 100% accurate and quite unethical, they were certainly administered and worked surprisingly frequently.

Also, note to everyone: There's a lot of stuff, esp. in this chapter that's historically inaccurate in regards to drug testing, etc. but I don't really care because it helps with the flow of this story so I hope you all don't mind. Sorry if that's important to you! Everything after this chapter should be pretty historically accurate.

I can't promise that my next update will be next weekend (although I'll try to get it out by then!) because life is crazy busy right now. I'll try not to leave you all hanging too long though!

My heart literally hurt to write some of this chapter, but I like the last part. I hope you guys do too (:

And lastly, thanks so much to everyone who is still reading this story!

I'll get off my soap box now lol…

XXX

The doctor kept speaking, "Well, there are small traces of the drug that are in your bloodstream. That's why it's still technically in your system. It shouldn't affect your actions or cognitive functions but it could mess with your hormones and would account for the nausea which explains the pregnancy symptoms."

"We've gotten flashes, uh, flashbacks from the night we were drugged – is that normal?" the Captain asked anxiously.

"Yes, with drugs similar to what we know about this one, it is. The flashes should be gone as soon as the drug is fully out of your body."

Maria and the Captain nodded.

"The other thing we have researched is that this drug is meant to affect cognitive function, so it would have probably been seen in diminished self control, do you think this sounds right?"

They nodded again. "We know that part," the Captain said. "We were told it would lower our self control so that we could tell the Nazis information they wanted but we got home before they could get to us," Maria added, her voice quiet but surprisingly strong.

"Actually, even if they had gotten to you, I don't believe it would have worked. I personally think it was flawed in the way they wanted it to work. You see, this drug works by bringing suppressed thoughts to the surface, so to speak. And you never wanted to tell them your plan or information, I assume, so they never would have gotten it. Say, for example, if you had always wanted to go and climb a mountain but for some reason you had been suppressing it because, say, someone forbade you to, you would go climb that mountain no matter what under the drug's influence. Do you understand?"

The Captain nodded, his mouth dry. Maria was trying to focus on his words but having a difficult time.

So it was confirmed, the drug really had brought out their suppressed, deepest feelings. Everything had finally fallen into place, even though Maria and the Captain had a pretty good idea of what the drug had done.

"Okay. Well, I know this appointment has been overwhelming for you, I'm sure. Any last questions?"

Maria asked, "All the signs leading to pregnancy – was I ever pregnant, and I just didn't…the baby just…" she trailed off.

The doctor paused. "I don't know."

Maria's shoulders slumped, and the Captain's heart plummeted.

The doctor continued, "But if you were pregnant and miscarried, you would have experienced abdominal pain and bleeding. I think you would have known."

The Captain looked at Maria, fearing her to say she had experienced pain and bleeding.

But she slowly shook her head, to his relief. "But we'll never know for sure?"

The doctor hesitated again, before deciding to say, "Well, no one can know for certain, especially with all the symptoms you reported. But I can make a highly educated assumption that no, you were never pregnant."

There was a moment of silence, and the doctor repeated, "Any more questions?"

Maria shook her head, itching to get as far away from the doctor's place as she could, and the Captain said, "No. Thank you doctor."

The doctor nodded in response and left the room.

Maria and the Captain remained where they were in silence.

At last Maria got up and said without looking at the Captain, "Let's go."

He followed her out the door.

Walking outside, the soft rain that had been falling throughout the past two days had now turned into a torrential downpour. The two ran to the car, trying but failing miserably not to get wet. Why they hadn't brought an umbrella, the Captain didn't know.

They finally reached the car, and the Captain was about to get in when he noticed Maria standing on the sidewalk, slowly turning in a circle as the rain drenched her.

"Maria?" he called, his hand frozen on the car door handle.

"Hmm?" she said back, her eyes closed and still looking like she was in some state of delirium.

"What are you doing?" He pulled his hand away from the car handle and walked over to her, his desire to remain dry going right out the window.

"It's raining," she told him, opening her eyes to look at him.

"Really? I didn't know," he replied sarcastically.

His suit was already drenched and his hair looked like he had just gotten out of the shower. Rain was dripping down his face. Her dress was clinging to her like a second skin, and rain drops were trickling down her face as well, and he was stunned anew at her simple beauty.

"Oh, Captain! Can you believe it?" She turned around, her face tilted up to the skies pouring out rain.

He was quiet as he waited for her to keep talking.

"It makes me feel like it's washing away everything. It makes me feel like I can start anew. It makes me feel like I don't have to think about anything except for the water," Maria exclaimed, relishing the way the water cleansed her.

She looked at the Captain, her eyes bright. He shook his head at her, his lips turned up in a small smile.

But it made something inside him soften, and he let the rain wash over him too. And the way it made him feel was indescribable.

She sighed. "I needed this." She looked at him. "I think you did too, Captain."

He allowed himself to smile, the tension slowly easing out of his shoulders. "This is crazy. You are crazy."

"But you like it," Maria smiled, poking a finger at his chest jokingly, but quickly averted her eyes and backed away, something inside her appearing to close in and draw her back.

"You know, I'm ready to go." She said, walking to the car.

He looked at her strangely, but did as she said, going back to the car with her.

They got into the car, dripping wet, and the Captain waited to start the engine.

"The doctor's visit was a lot to handle," Maria admitted softly.

"I can't imagine how you must feel right now," the Captain said.

"It hurt. It still hurts," she said.

He started the engine. "I know. I am so sorry that you had to go through all of that."

She swallowed, keeping her eyes forward on the road.

XXX

Before they knew it, they were back at the apartment.

Entering, the children bombarded them all at once, and the Captain noticed Maria's bottom lip tremble.

"Fraulein, would you like to go rest?" the Captain offered, giving her a way out.

She nodded and went to her room. Klara was behind the children and her eyes widened, her mouth open as she looked at the Captain for an answer. "I'm going to speak to Klara for a moment," the Captain started, and Liesl, sensing something was up, finished, "We can practice our singing in the music room, father!"

He nodded distractedly and Klara followed him into the kitchen.

"She's pregnant?" Klara asked.

"No," he said.

"What? I don't understand! All the—"

"No, the signs were caused by the drug, Klara. It's still in her bloodstream."

Klara took a deep breath. "Is she okay?"

"Physically, she's fine. It won't do any damage except make her feel nauseous for a couple more weeks. Mentally though, I mean, Klara…she's had to go through more that I ever wanted…"

Klara nodded. "She'll get through it though, I can almost promise you that. She is so strong."

The Captain nodded, running a hand through his head and rubbing his fingers together.

"You know, you've made her stronger."

He looked at her. "What?"

"Yes, I think you have. You've harnessed the strength in her, even if neither of you can see it yet, and she's harnessed the light in you."

The Captain just stared at Klara. "Just something to think about," she smiled softly, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "Are _you_ okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied gruffly.

"Mhmmm," she drawled, clearly disbelieving him.

"I just don't understand why she would want to run away!"

"You don't understand?" Klara scoffed. "The man who ran away from memories of his wife for years and years?"

When he looked at her in shock, she continued, "It's no different, Captain. Honestly, you should understand her better than anyone. And the truth is, I think you do understand her in a way that none of us could comprehend, but it scares you too much and you don't want to admit it."

He looked down. No wonder she and Maria were friends. If the topic hadn't been so heavy, he might have laughed. "Klara, I can't hurt her any more than I already have."

Before she could respond, Gretl and Marta ran into the kitchen, tugging on the Captain. "Father, father! We learned a new song and it sounds really good! Want to hear it?"

He nodded, looking back at Klara. "Well, let's not keep your children waiting, Georg."

The four of them went into the music room and Maria joined them minutes later.

XXX

Klara had left before dinner to go back to her apartment to meet Axel after his day at work. Maria put the children to bed, and she went to bed early herself. The Captain stayed up later to get some work done, but she heard him go into his room about twenty minutes ago.

Maria lay wide awake in her bed, trying to find a position that would help her fall asleep, but nothing helped. She put a hand on her stomach, the flatness of it too apparent. She had been so sure. So sure she was pregnant. But she wasn't. Her mind couldn't settle. Could her life get any more tumultuous?

When she closed her eyes, images of blood, her blood, the Nazis, threatened her mind. When she opened her eyes, she found her hands were shaking, and she was scared to close her eyes again.

She finally laid still on her back, staring at the ceiling. And she realized that she couldn't sleep because something deep inside her craved the Captain. Craved his presence.

She realized that she couldn't possibly be without him. He had truly been there next to her every single step throughout this, and she couldn't have imagined her journey with anyone else. Even if neither one of them wanted to admit it or even knew it, they needed each other. And they were home with each other.

Before she could think twice, Maria was out of her bed and in the hall, knocking on the Captain's door and opening it slightly.

She opened it and closed it gently behind her, staring at the Captain through the dark room as he sat up in his bed abruptly.

"Maria? Are you alright?"

"Uh, I'm not sure. I just wanted to…could I…" Maria abruptly shut her mouth, not used to having her words completely fail her. She shifted from one foot to another, playing with her hands, as she stood at the foot of the bed. Whatever driving force that had led her to his room suddenly vanished as she realized how truly awkward and presumptuous this was. She took a breath. "You know what, never mind."

"Maria." The Captain said before she could leave. His voice low and gentle, he asked seriously, "What do you need?"

"I was going to ask if I could sleep with you tonight." She instantly regretted how that came out. "I mean, not _sleep_ sleep with you. I meant actually sleeping as in shutting our eyes and getting rest. But now that I'm thinking about it, it's a bad idea."

"Maria."

She continued to babble, "It's silly, really. I mean, yes the thought of being alone scares me but I'm safe here. Seriously, what's the difference between you being down the hall and me being in your bed? Being in your bed just to sleep, like I said. There really isn't. I'm, uh, just going to go back and stay in my own room."

"Maria," he tried again.

"Okay, so I feel safest when I'm actually with you. But that's probably all in my head. I'm so sorry for bothering you at this hour. I'm being ridiculous, and now I'm rambling so I'm just going to—"

"Maria," the Captain said more firmly, getting her attention at last. "Come on." He motioned for her to come into his bed.

"Oh! Uh, are you sure?"

He nodded.

A small, shy smile formed on her lips and she whispered, "Okay," pulling back the covers and hesitantly climbing in next to him.

He surprised her though, when she climbed into bed and he didn't inch closer to her. Instead, he turned his back to her.

He didn't even say another word. And it occurred to her that ever since they'd gotten home he hadn't looked at her. When the children were singing, he hadn't looked to her with his usual gaze of…wonder and intensity. He didn't meet her eyes at dinner either. And she didn't know why.

"Captain?" Maria whispered hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

There was silence and for a second she worried he had already fallen asleep. But moments of silence later, he whispered back, his back still to her, "I never wanted you to go through all the pain that you've been through ever since you met me, ever since…I never wanted you to go through all that but then I never wanted you to go…to go back to the abbey like you were going to before…before I…"

"I didn't want to go," she explained. "I just didn't want to put you in such a terrible position, and I was scared. And I just…I needed to sort things out because I didn't know what I was feeling or what to do. I just needed to breathe."

"That's just the thing," he replied, sucking in a harsh breath before exhaling with a humorless laugh. "I _can't_ breathe without you."

"Captain—"

He felt her hand press against his back.

"Please, look at me," she whispered.

He furrowed his brow, shaking his head without attempting to turn to look at her. He even clenched his hands into the sheets to ensure he didn't turn. "I don't trust myself, Maria."

This time, her voice was filled with frustration again. "Would it kill you to look at me for two seconds?"

"Yes!" he burst out, his body jerking beneath her touch. "Because if I look at you, I'm going to want…to want to hold you, and if I hold you, I'm not going to be able to let you go. So, I…can't," he finished, resigning himself with a sigh at the end.

And then she moved. First he felt the sheet move, then warmth as she wound her arm around his stomach and pressed herself to his back. It was enough to draw a strangled sound from his throat, one of longing and hesitance and god knows what else that he wasn't sure he could fight back.

"Maria—" he murmured through gritted teeth.

"I want to come home," she whispered simply against his shoulder, finally letting herself say what she truly felt.

It almost broke him, those words he'd wanted to hear her say for so many weeks now he'd started to think she'd never speak them.

But if this was a momentary lapse like so many other things between them had felt like, a shred of weakness because he was right beside her, he wouldn't bear it. If she were to move closer then pull away, it wouldn't be something he could survive. He'd spent too long with the love of Maria Rainer in his heart that he knew he wouldn't survive it being taken from him again.

"Maria," he couldn't say any more, his voice filled with anguish.

"Please," she whispered back, her voice breaking.

And at that, he broke. He turned so quickly her hand dropped onto the mattress for only a moment because his arms were around her, crushing her against his chest. He wanted to kiss her, wanted to feel her wholly in his arms, but in that moment all he could do was hold her as she clung to him. And it was enough. More than enough.

"Yes," he whispered, "Come home." He pressed his lips to the top of her head.

Home was together, and she wanted to come home.

The two fell asleep in each other's arms that night, both feeling complete.

In the middle of the night, Maria woke up. She didn't know why. She looked around his room and saw the curtain drawn over the window. Curious to see what his view was because she had always been too preoccupied in his room to notice, Maria gradually eased herself out of the bed and walked over to the window.

She pulled back the curtain and peered out, awe filling her. She could see the city. She could see the twinkling city lights, and the occasional car that traveled down the road below. And then she looked back at the Captain sleeping on the bed.

And standing there all alone, she suddenly knew. He just looked at her with his eyes and stripped her naked in her own shadows, bare to him like she had never been to anyone else. _That_ was why she felt everything so much, why she felt every emotion so much stronger around him. That was why it hurt. That was why she'd run and run. Because in those shadows, the protection of the abbey, the protection she'd tried to build, the _walls_ she'd tried to build, had been her reality for so long, suddenly everything seemed like illusions. Everything seemed like an illusion.

Everything except him.

And he hadn't broken her walls.

He had scaled them.

That _something_ inside her, finally, after being stifled and caged for so long, broke free.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Wow, the responses to the last chapter blew me away! Thanks so much!_

 _To guest reviewer Ellie: You are brilliant._

 _I thought this chapter would take longer but…well, here it is a week later! I'm changing the outline quite a bit for this story, so that's why I really can't make any promises on updates._

 _Also a couple lines in here from Ariana Grande's song Dangerous Woman – don't own it, etc._

XXX

The Captain woke up the next morning, his arms full of a warm, soft woman tucked right up to his front, her head under his chin. Their legs were tangled together and as he came to full awareness, he felt the tell-tale prickling of arousal underneath his skin as she stirred a little, moving ever so slightly against him.

He swallowed hard. Maria was pressed up to him, her soft curves resting against the hard planes of his chest, her light scent tickling his nostrils. She hummed a little in her sleep and instead of easing away as he should have done, the Captain tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer still.

It just felt so _good_ and so _right_ to have her here like this. It was ten different kinds of wrong, he knew that. They were sleeping in the same bed and not even married. Good god. He should wake her up, he should get her out of this bed, he should put an entire house between the two of them right this minute because his control was hanging on by a very tenuous thread.

She shifted against him again and slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning," he whispered in her ear.

She turned her head ever so slightly to meet his eyes. "Good morning," she smiled softly.

"Is this real? Or am I still dreaming?" she whispered.

He chuckled into her hair. "I hope it's real."

The Captain turned to look at the clock but kept his arm around Maria. As he turned his upper body, it caused his arm to move up and his hand to come to rest on Maria's stomach. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the warmth of his palm through her nightgown. It was almost too much to bear.

He turned back to her but kept his hand on her stomach. She tilted her head to lock eyes with him, slight question in her eyes.

"It's not easy to make rational decisions with you pressed up against me like this," the Captain muttered.

Maria turned so that she was facing him on her side. She agreed with him wholeheartedly. "No, it's not," she whispered as if she was afraid of the words themselves. And before the Captain could get out of the bed, distance himself from her, _anything_ , she tentatively slid an arm around him, her palm resting against his back and applying the slightest bit of pressure to press the two of them closer. She rested one ankle over his lower leg and the Captain wasn't sure he could stand any more because her lips were mere centimeters from his own.

She licked her lips, noticing his eyes flicker down to them. The intensity of his gaze matched hers.

Her breathing was coming faster due to their close proximity and the Captain's heart was racing. Ever so slowly, he leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against Maria's. The instant his lips touched hers, the rest of the world slipped away, leaving nothing but them.

The kiss stayed soft, his hand gently on her waist, almost hovering, and it brought tears to her eyes how _precious_ she felt in that moment. She felt cherished and loved…like as long as they had each other, they could do anything.

But before she could catch up with the flutter of emotions filling her, before she could fully contemplate what she was feeling, she wanted more.

She _needed_ more. This wasn't just want. It was more than that. It was denied attraction rearing its head. It was telling herself over and over to push her feelings down an that one day her feelings would disappear…It was realizing now that it's more, that it has always been more, and that she wants it all, she wants this future with the Captain.

It filled her up, filled every fiber of her being, and she was helpless against it.

The need crackled under her skin, suddenly sparking to life, and she could feel it in the Captain, too. It was sparking to life in a way that had them both kissing harder and the Captain rolling on top of her, gently pressing the full length of his body against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and she felt like she was getting swept up in him and wanted nothing more than to dive in and let go.

She can't believe how he melts for her, this man who has stood up against the strongest forces in the world, who doesn't back down because he knows it's the right choice. It's more than she could ever imagine, the way he molded himself to her, fitting against her like they were made for each other.

It was a lot, and it was happening fast, really fast, but she didn't want it to stop.

So she gave in. She completely let him in.

The Captain groaned, a rough, _"Maria,"_ slipping out before he dropped his hands, one sliding down her neck to her shoulder. Maria shivered as his fingers brushed over her ribs, his thumb slipping along the underside of her breast.

She arched her back to press her chest against his as she pushed a hand up into his hair.

It felt like there was nothing between them, and the growing bulge in his pants pressed against her in a way that had a desperate gasp falling from her lips. But it scared her too, and she and the Captain both seemed to come to their senses simultaneously, pulling back from the other's lips. Maria was still underneath him, out of breath.

"The things you do to me, Maria, I swear…" he groaned.

She smiled, leaning in to kiss him softly on the cheek. "Thank you for letting me sleep here. I…" she paused. "Sometimes it's too hard to take on the world by yourself."

He nodded, his expression serious. "You don't have to thank me. I suppose we do have to get out of bed, though…or I think we may never be able to stop ourselves…"

Maria swallowed and smiled again, agreeing with him lightheartedly, feeling somehow like weight had been taken off her shoulders. The Captain pressed a chaste kiss to her neck and rolled off of her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Maria stood up as well. The Captain had seen her in her nightgown so much since the night of the thunderstorm when she had been uncomfortable that she didn't even think twice about it.

"Can we talk tonight?" Maria asked quietly. He looked up at her and nodded. They had to sort things out between them, he knew that.

Maria left the Captain's room to go get dressed and ready for the day in her own room.

She barely had time to put a dress on when a knock sounded at her door. "Come in!" she called.

Gretl, Marta, and Louisa all opened the door and ran into the room.

"Well, hallo!" Maria exclaimed.

"Fraulein Maria!"

"Yes?"

"It's so sunny and beautiful and hot out today could we please please go swimming?" The words tumbled in a rush out of their mouths, and Maria grinned.

She looked out her window. The sun was indeed shining and the sky was already a bright, clear blue.

"Mmmhmm," Maria nodded.

The girls smiled widely and went up to hug her. "Thanks Fraulein!"

"But…" Maria started and the girls' faces grew serious.

"…You are all a bit behind in your studies, so I think we should take the day to catch up. It will be warmer later in the afternoon anyhow. We can go swimming then, once you have your work done."

"Alright," the girls agreed, seeming to understand the compromise.

XXX

After lunch, Maria was reading while she was waiting for Brigitta and Kurt to finish their series of math problems. She didn't know she had nodded off until Brigitta was tapping her shoulder and saying, "Fraulein Maria, wake up!"

"Oh, dear! I am so sorry! I can't believe I fell asleep," Maria said, embarrassed. She looked down at her book. It hadn't been _that_ boring. She was always wide awake – what had gotten into her?

"It's alright, Fraulein Maria. Can I take a nap instead of doing my math problems?" Kurt offered hopefully.

Maria laughed. "No, Kurt." She looked over his shoulder. "Only a few more, come on, you can do it."

He sheepishly smiled and got back to his work.

It had taken a bit longer for Maria to get through their afternoon history lesson, and it was already 4:00.

They had finally gotten through the lessons for the day, and all the children asked hopefully, "Fraulein, now can we go swimming?"

"Absolutely," she said, but hesitated. None of the children except Liesl and Brigitta noticed, and the other five scampered off to their rooms to change into their swimsuits.

"What is it?" Liesl asked Maria softly.

"Oh, nothing, I just realized that I don't have a swimsuit. But it's not a big deal, I'll just sit on the side and watch!" Maria smiled brightly.

It couldn't have been worse timing, or so Maria thought, for the Captain to come through the door.

Maria and the two girls turned to face him.

"Father, you're home!" Brigitta said.

He walked to them, wrapping his arms around Brigitta and Liesl.

He fought the urge to kiss Maria and instead distracted himself with a question. "What have you all been up to?"

"We were going to go swimming, father!"

Before Liesl could continue, Maria interjected, "Since they got all their studies done…"

He grinned. "It's perfectly alright," he said in a low voice.

Brigitta touched a hand to his suit coat sleeve. "Can you come with us father? We had so much fun the last time."

The Captain met Maria's eyes. She was hoping, praying he would say no because she really couldn't handle seeing him in just his swimsuit again.

"Absolutely…that is, if your fraulein will allow me," the Captain said with question in his voice.

Maria couldn't speak. So she simply nodded. "Well it's all settled then." He winked at her over Liesl and Brigitta's heads and walked off to his room.

"You can borrow one of my swimsuits," Liesl offered, picking right up from where they had left off.

Maria was flustered. "Oh, thank you Liesl, but…"

"I have one that would probably be perfect for you, it's still a bit too big for me," Liesl continued, refusing to take no for an answer.

"Fraulein Maria, we'd love to play with you in the water, please?" Brigitta asked, making Maria finally relent.

"Alright. Thank you Liesl." Brigitta disappeared into her own room, but not before sharing a knowing smile with her older sister. Liesl led Maria into her own room and ruffled through her drawers, finally pulling out a turquoise one piece swim suit.

Maria took it and went into her room to change.

She went back into her room, slipped into it and looked in the mirror. She had to admit, it was quite tasteful and it fit her perfectly. But it had a cut lower than anything she had ever worn and exposed her shoulders and her thighs. Maria finally admitted to herself that she would have no problem if it was just with the children. But it was with _the Captain_ , and…

Maria swallowed. Either way, the children wouldn't let her get out of this one. She grabbed a robe and before she had time to overthink it, marched out of the room.

XXX

There were a few clouds in the sky, but it was still awfully humid outside. The children were already jumping into the pool and Maria shrugged her robe off.

"You brought a swimsuit, Fraulein?" the Captain low, rough voice came from behind her and made Maria jump.

Maria turned around. "Oh, no, it's one of Liesl's…" Maria trailed off, fidgeting under his gaze. She didn't want to look at him, she really didn't, but it was so hard not to, and she cursed her ever-present curiosity as she snuck a look.

And she couldn't breathe. She knew she had seen it all before but his physique still knocked the breath right out of her. Not to mention that his swim wear left not much to the imagination.

"Well?" The Captain broke the silence between them. The corners of his mouth turned upwards and Maria wanted to punch herself because she realized she had been staring even though she promised herself she would just _glance_.

"Well what?"

"Well are you going to get in?"

"Yes, Captain," Maria sighed, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. She slipped into the pool next to where Gretl was sitting on the edge.

The Captain walked over to the deep end and dove in. "Show off," Maria muttered. She watched as he surfaced and somehow his hair looked even better. She kept her eyes on him as he swam over to Friedrich and Louisa and then Gretl tapped her head. "Fraulein Maria, will you help me learn how to swim even better?"

Maria smiled. "Of course, sweetheart, I can try! I'm not a very good swimmer myself but we can work on it together, can't we?"

Gretl laughed and held out her hands for Maria to lift her into the water.

At that moment, the Captain glanced over at her, and was struck at how _right_ it looked, how right it looked to see Maria interact with his children and how right it seemed to be with her, and how right it seemed to be together.

And in that silly, crazy, spontaneous, out-of-the blue moment, he knew. He knew he _couldn't._ He couldn't live without Maria in his life. And there was nothing stopping him. She had already essentially said that the abbey wasn't the place for her and he knew she had feelings for him too. He wanted her forever. He felt _alive,_ just thinking about it.

XXX

The clouds had come in and it was beginning to look dark despite it only being around 5:30. "Children, it's time to go inside," Maria called. The seven of them obeyed, getting out of the pool and grabbing towels, heading back inside.

It left her and the Captain alone in the water, about to follow them back up but both holding back for just a moment together.

"Did you hear they installed an elevator?" Maria all of a sudden asked him in the middle of the pool.

"Yes, but I think it will still be a few days before it will start working," the Captain responded, swimming over to her.

"I know there's a lot of steps old man, think you can take it?" Maria laughed and pushed herself off the wall and started to swim to the other side of the pool to reach the stairs heading out.

The Captain stared at her completely dumbfounded for a moment, before he quickly followed her. Maria giggled when he dove under the water and grabbed her legs. When she felt him pull them down though, she tried to reach the edge of the pool to hold onto something and get him off. After kicking her feet a few times, he reluctantly let go of them.

Maria held herself to the edge of the pool when suddenly, the Captain surfaced right in front of her. He grabbed the edge of the pool right next to her shoulders, caging her in, before he towered over her, drops of water falling on her skin.

"Next time you call me an old man," he told her in a deep, seductive voice, looking her straight in the eyes, his nose just inches from hers, "I'm going to show you what that old man is capable of doing to you."

When she gulped and licked her lips, the Captain looked at her mouth for a second before his eyes found hers again.

He backed away and headed up the stairs, Maria following him on shaky legs, unable to keep her mind off of him and his words.

XXX

They all changed, the children into nice clothes, Maria back into her dark purple dress and the Captain into a suit for dinner.

Before she knew it, dinner was over and she was already putting the children to bed.

"Thank goodness we came inside when we did," Maria commented to Gretl and Marta as she closed the curtain, looking outside at the pitch dark skies and listening to the thunder, the occasional lightning bolt lighting up the room.

"Will you two be okay?" Maria asked, turning to them.

"Oh yes," Gretl said proudly. "I'm not scared of thunderstorms anymore!"

Marta agreed. "I even kind of like them!"

Maria smiled. She moved to turn off their light but the storm seemed to beat her to it, the light going out and engulfing them in darkness.

"Oh dear," Maria said to herself. She hoped the power hadn't gone out. She said good night to the two girls and exited their room, shutting the door behind her quietly. The hallway was dark too and she went into the library to barely make out the Captain's figure; it appeared he was setting down a book. "Maria?" he asked as he stood up.

"Captain? Has the power gone out?" She walked into the library, closer to him.

"I'm afraid so," he said. "Hopefully it will be back on tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" she asked, her heart skipping a beat. Would they have to be in total darkness for the rest of the night? How would they talk? Somehow standing in the library alone with the Captain in complete darkness with rain pouring down outside seemed absolutely, utterly wicked.

"Probably," the Captain said, his voice seeming lower. "Why, does it scare you?"

"No!" Maria exclaimed. "I, uh, I'm perfectly fine."

"Good. I guess we'll just have to talk in the dark then," the Captain said. He'd wait to tell her that they could light a candle.

"Oh, uh, okay."

The Captain moved closer to Maria, closer than he needed to. Maria could almost feel the heat radiating from him.

"Are you going to be a nun?" the Captain asked unexpectedly.

"Hmm? Oh, well," Maria thought for a second, knowing how clear the answer was but unable to speak the words out loud.

"Yes?" he prompted.

"No," she stated. "Not when…not when I have to at least try to find out what God has planned for me with…with you….Because I know that…well…you make me feel…" Maria trailed off.

"I make you feel what?" the Captain asked, somehow the darkness and the rain making him feel the same way Maria did.

Through the dark, Maria whispered, feeling like sparks were lighting up throughout her body, "I don't know…."

"But I do know that something about you makes me feel like a dangerous woman. And something about you makes me want to do things that I shouldn't."

He took a step closer so he left barely any air between their two bodies and moved his hand. Just his thumb. Slowly. Over her parted lips.

Her eyes closed completely, her head tilting back even more, exposing her neck to his fingers that cupped her a heated breath escaping her lips as his thumb roved over them. Over and over. Not pressing. Just brushing with the lightest of touches. The tingling wherever he touched started to burn, the desire for his lips, for his mouth, to claim, to take, to taste, so acute it made her chest ache.

She was panting heavily as he continued manipulating her lips, just her lips, her fingers digging into his sides, tugging him closer, so close that she could feel his heavy erection right against her stomach, the contact sizzling through her bones as heat pooled between her thighs. But that heat was nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to the heat in her lips. She'd never been so hungry for a kiss, never been so desperate as she was right then, with his thumb just going over and over on her mouth, not letting her suck it in, not letting her bite.

"Captain…"

His name escaped those very lips on a wanton sigh, the desire for his mouth more than she could handle, her entire body burning slowly, so much she was sure she was going to evaporate if he didn't anchor her.

A sudden clap of thunder had her eyes opening, only to see the something primal flash in his face before he was shrouded in the dark once more. But that split second where their eyes locked, where the woman in her called to the man in him, sent something completely else washing over her. It was more than desire. More than hunger. More than anything she'd ever experienced. But it throbbed in her body with every beat of her heart. Everywhere.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Hey guys, sorry this update took longer than usual! These past few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. S/o to kappa17 for being my beta for this chapter! This one is making me super nervous.

 _A sudden clap of thunder had Maria's eyes opening, only to see the something primal flash in the Captain's face before he was shrouded in the dark once more. But that split second where their eyes locked, where the woman in her called to the man in him, sent something completely else washing over her. It was more than desire, more than hunger. More than anything she'd ever experienced. But it throbbed in her body with every beat of her heart. Everywhere._

The Captain slowly brought his thumb away from her lips and slid that same hand around to the back of her neck. His lips were now a paper's width away from hers. It seemed to her as if the darkness of the room heightened her sensitivity as the Captain put his other hand around to the small of her back, pressing her against him. Maria gasped and he leaned in ever so slightly, his lips lightly moving over hers.

All the tension he had built and all the anticipation she had felt leading up to this moment finally released to this moment. And Maria could barely handle it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, pressing her lips against his fiercely.

Their tongues dueled and the Captain's hands moved over her back, pressing every inch of her, from her knees to her lips, to him.

They separated for air and the Captain backed up to shut and lock the library door. Maria stood gasping for breath, just a foot away from the bookshelf, watching as he shut the door. He looked at her, and their gazes locked.

He took one step towards her.

And another, and another, until finally he stood in front of her. Not touching her yet, just staring into her eyes.

Maria struggled to breathe, and the Captain's own chest rose and fell a little faster, his breaths washing over her face, the scent of musk and something woodsy wrapping around her in the close proximity.

"Captain," Maria breathed, barely audible, "Please."

"Georg," he whispered back, making her look confused. "No more 'Captain', not when we're alone like this."

She stared at him. "Georg…" his name sounded foreign to her, yet simultaneously just right.

The Captain reached to Maria's back and unzipped her dress. The dress dropped to the floor and Maria stepped out of it, moving her hands to push off the Captain's suit coat and unbutton his shirt. The Captain took over for Maria as her hands started to shake. He was soon standing in front of her in only his black pants, his chest moving up and down with every ragged breath he took.

Heart thudding, Maria pressed her hands to his upper body, her hands full of muscles she never thought she'd feel against her palms. She pressed her hands to his bare chest, surprised at how _hot_ he was. He was burning her hands and as Maria's hands roved over him, he bent down, gathering the bottom of the material of her slip in his hands, and he brought it over her head.

And then she was left standing in front of him in only her simple white bra and underwear, her breasts heaving.

He leaned in to capture her lips after whispering, "You are perfect, Maria," making her exhale in relief.

The feeling of his stomach against hers sent tingles throughout her entire body. Her knees were so weak she had no idea how she was still standing.

As the Captain snaked his tongue into her mouth at the same time he caressed her stomach with one hand and cupped her breast with the other hand, Maria's knees gave out. She probably would have fallen had the Captain not moved his hand from her stomach to around her waist. All of it was happening so fast, Maria's head was spinning. But she didn't want it to stop.

"Georg," Maria breathed, "Please, please can we…I want you so much…I need you so much."

The Captain's heart stopped for a second, and he brought both his hands down to her waist. "Maria."

"Please…I want to know what it's like."

The Captain stared at her through the darkness.

"Show me what it's like?"

When the Captain didn't move, Maria's stomach twisted. "I'm sorry, I…" she turned away in shame. "I came on to you, I didn't mean…You don't want…and I forced…"

"Maria!" The Captain lifted a hand and put his finger to her chin, tilting her head up to him. "You didn't force anything. And I don't blame you for being curious. And don't you ever think that I don't want you. I want you. More than you could imagine."

Maria looked at him in amazement. She had a hard time looking him in the eye as she said, "I just thought that, well, I saw what we did in the flashes from that night and I'm just disappointed that I can't remember it. I want to know what it feels like."

"I always thought it hurt a lot," Maria continued, and the Captain could barely believe they were talking about this, "but then I saw in those flashes…I saw what I looked like underneath you in the mirror, and it looked like I…" she trailed off, not knowing how to finish but deciding to end with, "well, it definitely didn't look like it hurt."

"So, please?" Maria didn't even fully understand what she was asking.

In response to her, he desperately crashed his lips to hers, and realizing they had backed away from the bookshelf and the back of her legs had hit the couch in the corner of the library, Maria sank down onto the couch, bringing the Captain with her. She lay on her back and the Captain covered her body with his.

A series of lightning flashes went off and lit up the room. He looked at her, his gaze filled with heat. The only thing on Maria's mind was _him._ And the only thing on the Captain's mind was _her._ And she propped herself up on her elbows, reaching back to undo the clasp of her bra and dropping it on the floor.

It left her in front of the Captain, more vulnerable to him than she had been with anyone else. It made her hesitate, but the Captain's sharp intake of breath upon seeing her like this gave her more confidence.

He gently kissed her neck, slowly moving down, his lips barely brushing over the tops of her breasts.

"Oh, Georg," she breathed, arching her back into his touch. Leaning forward, he wrapped his lips around one of her nipples while he massaged the other with firm but gentle fingers. When she gasped at the feel of his hot mouth on her, he opened wider to engulf more of her breast. His tongue stroked along her nipple until she was panting and moaning, her fingers tangled in the short hair on top of his head.

Lightning illuminated the dark room once more. The Captain ran his fingers up the outsides of her thighs, dragging them as he kept his eyes on hers, pinning her with a heated look. Maria bit her lip as he brought the fingers of one hand around to the front of her underwear, dipping them down inside so slowly that she thought she might scream before he actually touched her.

"Georg, please," Maria whispered, her voice filled with desperation.

He groaned as he finally slowly entered a finger inside of her, not wanting to completely overwhelm her, watching as she threw her head back, eyelids shut in pleasure.

Her eyes opened with a gasp as pumped his finger in and out of her, daring to add a second. He gazed up at her and she matched his gaze, unable to look away from his dark blue eyes.

Then he pressed her lips to hers again and her sob of pleasure into the kiss made him pull back abruptly, checking that she was still with him, but she just writhed around his hand once more.

With his fingers buried within her, she was far too breathless to continue the kiss but that didn't stop his lips ravaging any exposed skin he could reach. Every time he pulled back for breath, his eyes met hers with a matched longing, and he kept his gaze on her as he curled his fingers within her, brushing against a sensitive spot that had her moan. She jolted, her eyes wide as he whispered encouragements to her. She couldn't focus on his words, not when there was white-hot pleasure coursing through her body.

Rather than withdraw his fingers and thrust them into her again, he continued to stroke that pleasured spot within her. It sent sparks of arousal through her, and a tight coil started to build within her, a pressure low in her stomach that made her fully aware of the dampness pooling in his palm.

She moaned, long and low, fisting her hand into his hair for a better grip while her other steadied herself against his shoulder.

Finally all the sweet build of pleasure released and she clamped down around his fingers, spasming around him.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream, her back arching.

"Georg!" Maria panted, slowly coming down.

He could barely breathe himself. This was so much better than all the times he had imagined it, she was so incredibly perfect, he couldn't even begin to express it. "Maria," he whispered back, his voice filled with meaning.

"Wow, that felt so much better than I thought it would," Maria whispered into his ear, still breathless, a soft smile on her face.

His heart stuttered. "You've thought about this?"

Maria looked back at him. "You haven't?"

He grinned, unable to shake his head. She certainly knew how to respond to him, he'd give her that.

Completely sated but somehow still needing him, Maria reached for the zipper of the Captain's pants, swallowing as she noticed the large bulge.

Except he gently yet firmly grasped her hands before she could go any farther. "Tonight was about you, Maria. And we aren't taking this any farther until we're married—"

Maria lay back, looking confused. "But you….I mean, I…"

She started again, thinking instead about his last words, "Was that a marriage proposal?" Somehow it felt right. Why talking about marriage with him didn't feel like the strangest thing in the world right at this moment when it was just the two of them, Maria wouldn't know.

The Captain smiled softly. "No. No, when I propose to you, it's going to be more romantic than this."

That was when Maria's emotions flooded through her, hitting her again like a tidal wave. But they were good feelings, happiness, and absolute joy.

" _W-when_ you-?" Maria restated. He hadn't said if.

"That is, if you want—"

Maria cut him off, her hands going to the back of his neck. "With all my heart." Her brain couldn't even process anything, she could only act on her emotions.

The Captain couldn't keep the smile from spreading across his face, and he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.

Maria started again, "But tonight you don't want to…?"

The Captain shook his head, doing his best to hold on to his self control as he watched her face fall. He shouldn't have even gone this far, but he knew he couldn't go any farther.

"It's not because I don't want you," he started.

She looked at him curiously.

"Your first time—"

She interrupted, "It won't be my first time, remember? We've already done it!"

"Yes, it will," he growled. "It will because it will be the first time that we as our true selves, the people we are, choose to become one."

Her heart skipped a beat, but he continued.

"Your first time, we are going to do it when I can see you."

Maria looked somewhat scandalized.

"We're going to do it on a bed. And I am going to worship every single inch of you."

Maria took a ragged breath.

"We have to wait, Maria. We have to wait because you are going to regret not waiting. And I want you to get to heaven. Which I know seems absurd coming from me because we both know I have cursed God, but that was in my past, Maria. And I love you so much that I can't do something that will lead you farther away from God and I can't do something that you will regret later when we aren't in the heat of the moment."

He absolutely took her breath away.

Nodding in understanding, Maria looked at him, eyes shining with love.

"But we have to get dressed now because I really don't know how much longer I can stand it with you like this."

Maria smiled, and grabbed her clothes that were on the library floor, squinting through the dark.

"Captain?" She whispered hesitantly.

"Hmm?"

"I really don't think we can sleep in the same bed any more, I…the temptation, it's too much."

He looked at her. "I agree, it's probably for the best tonight. It took everything in me to keep from going all the way just moments ago, and if you are in my bed all night I…you're right."

He opened the library door once they were both dressed.

As the stepped into the dark hallway, he whispered, his breath skating over the back of her neck and making her shiver, "Goodnight Maria, I'll see you in the morning."

She turned to look at him, a smile on her face with heat still in her eyes. "Goodnight Captain."

XXX

The next morning, Maria was stopped once again by the wave of nausea, but this time she didn't throw up and it disappeared after she sat down for a little while. _That darn drug,_ she thought to herself.

She turned the light on, thanking God that the power had returned. Small rays of sun were even shining through the clouds outside.

And then she thought about what happened with the Captain the previous night. _Wow_ was one of the only words that she could use to even try to explain what she had felt. And only with his fingers…Maria shut her eyes. _No more thinking. No, we have to wait._ She still couldn't believe that had happened.

Did she regret it? No. Was she glad they hadn't gone any farther? Yes - she would have felt guilty if they had.

There was absolutely no way she could be a nun now. She _knew_ that God wanted her to be with the Captain. She had known deep down for a while but it confused her and it scared her. But in the past few days it had risen up and she _knew_. She had to see what God had in store for her with the Captain.

She opened her door once she was ready for the day and walked down the hallway to the dining room for breakfast, only to see the Captain already sitting there with the children.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully. Her breath hitched in seeing the Captain smile wickedly, his eyes gazing into hers.

They said grace and the Captain began speaking casually, "How did you sleep Fraulein? I hope the power outage didn't disturb you too much."

She choked on her juice, sending her into a coughing fit. "I slept just fine, Captain. How was your night?"

"I certainly wasn't disturbed by the power outage." He said, his eyes dark and hints of a smile playing at his lips.

"I am sure that you all are glad the power is back, right?" the Captain asked, shifting gears and looking at the children, giving Maria time to breathe.

They nodded, and proceeded to finish breakfast.

XXX

After supper that night, the children were walking out the dining room to begin reading when the Captain spoke from behind Maria.

"Fraulein? A moment please?"

Maria turned around, taking a deep breath.

"Yes?"

The Captain was pacing in front of her. "I was thinking. Do you like it here? Living in New York City?"

"Yes, of course, I mean I miss the mountains and the green meadows, and I do miss Austria, but this is wonderful too," Maria answered, wondering where he was headed with this.

"To be completely honest with you, I agree. And I think the children miss Austria too. I was speaking with a Navy correspondent today and he mentioned growing up in Vermont. We began talking about it, and it's just like Austria there. Mountains, lakes, birds, flowers, wind that moves through the trees like a restless sea…"

Maria looked at him, her breath taken away at the poetic beauty of his words, of the way he spoke.

"What are you saying, Captain?"

"I'm saying that you don't truly belong here, Maria. Hell, none of us do. I think we should move."

"Again? You don't think it will upset the children?"

"No, they'll be alright. It'll be just in time for them to start school and I think they're a little homesick here. It might be a little better in Vermont."

Maria had to agree. She missed the mountains, she missed running and singing up there. "I do agree with you. Where would we be going exactly?" Maria asked.

"Stowe, Vermont," the Captain replied.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: Thanks for the continued support with this story! It keeps me going._

 _Hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter (:_

 _Don't own the Sound of Music, etc…_

XXX

"Vermont?" Maria repeated.

The Captain nodded. "I know moving isn't ideal but now is quite honestly the best time, considering it will be just in time for the children to start school."

Maria nodded. "It is a good idea." She paused for a moment, thinking, until she asked, "What about Klara and Axel? I wish they could come with us. Klara and I have become such good friends."

The Captain smiled at her softly. "Yes, I know. They are dear friends. I'll talk to them tomorrow and see what they think. I don't know if they are in a good position to move or not considering employment, but I can ask and we can discuss it tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Will we be staying in an apartment like this one or a house or a villa like yours back in Austria?" Maria asked as an afterthought. "Do you know yet?"

"I am not certain yet. However, I do believe that we will have a large house, perhaps not extremely similar to mine back in Salzburg but definitely a pleasant home."

Maria smiled. "Honestly, it sounds perfect. Oh, how I would love to be up on a mountain again, with the breeze on my face and the grass beneath my feet!"

The Captain simply looked at her, his head moving up in a nod. "Yes. In any event, there's not much we can do about it tonight. We should begin reading with the children, should we not?" He asked, a smile creeping across his face.

Maria grinned. "Mmhmm!" And the two walked out of the dining room to be with the children for the remainder of the evening.

XXX

After both Maria and the Captain shut the door to Gretl's room that night, they stood in the hall, both hesitating before going into their respective rooms.

"Maria." The Captain said her name quietly as they stood in front of her door.

"Yes?"

She looked at him curiously – it was as if he seemed _nervous_ , and she had no idea why.

"Tomorrow evening, would you like to accompany me to see the orchestra at Carnegie Hall?"

Maria couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her face. "Oh, Captain, really?"

He nodded, visibly relaxing and smiling a bit himself. "Yes, I have tickets and would love to go with you…that is, if _you_ would like to go. If not—"

Maria interrupted him, "I would _love_ to go, Captain! Oh, the orchestra! I've heard some wonderful choirs before but I've never really heard a world class orchestra! That sounds lovely!"

He smiled and bent down, pressing a light kiss to her cheek. "Wonderful, I am very much looking forward to it," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "Me too," she whispered back, meeting his eyes before opening the door to her room.

When Maria closed her door, she leaned against it for a moment, closing her eyes. _How could this be real?_ And she couldn't contain her excitement any longer, leaving her jumping up and down and humming with joy.

XXX

As far away as it had seemed, the next night was upon Maria and the Captain before they knew it.

Klara and Axel had arrived fifteen minutes before Maria and the Captain were supposed to leave so that they could watch the children, but Maria had completely lost track of the time. She hadn't even planned out what she was going to wear.

Klara and Axel walked into the apartment with smiles on their faces, eager to interact with the children and help put them to bed. "Maria?" Klara asked, and not waiting for another word, continued, "Why are you not getting ready? Hurry up!" She shooed Maria away into her bedroom.

Maria protested, "I was with the children! I don't need a long time to get ready!" But she retreated into her bedroom after Klara's joking insistence.

In the hallway, Maria put her hand to her head, her stomach twisting in knots. She had been looking forward to it all night and day but now that it came time to actually get ready to go, she had no idea what to do or what to expect.

She had nothing to wear. What on earth was she supposed to wear to this type of event? Could she ask the Captain? She stared at his closed door. Looking back down the hallway, she walked forward a few paces but saw Klara busy with the children.

Maria glanced back at the Captain's door and decided to knock before she could think about anything else.

When he didn't answer, she slowly pushed open the door.

She saw the Captain standing with his back turned to her, looking out his window, and for a moment she couldn't find her voice. For those few moments, she allowed herself the luxury of scanning the Captain's body without feeling self-conscious. He hadn't put on his suit coat yet but he had a white shirt and black dress pants on, and his broad back teased beneath his dress shirt. She found herself wishing she could see more of him, but then he turned around.

"Maria?" He asked, his eyes flickering down her body. "Is everything alright?"

Maria shut the door behind her. "Uh, yes…." He cocked his head and she started shaking hers. "Well, not really…you see, uh, I don't think I have anything to wear! I don't know what to wear! I don't want to disappoint you and I'm still trying to get used to….things. I've never been to something like this, and…"

"Maria," he walked forward and took one of her trembling hands in his. "First of all, don't ever think that you'll disappoint me. Secondly, why don't you just wear…uh," he scratched his head for a second, "that blue dress you wore when I sang Edelweiss?"

Maria's heart jumped into her throat. She remembered which one, shocked that _he_ remembered. "Um, sure, okay, I brought that one here."

She didn't turn to go, though, wanting to stay with him in front of her holding her hands. Boldly, she moved closer to him, so close their faces were only centimeters apart.

A small smile of appreciation reflected on Maria's face as she leaned in to brush a light kiss against his lips. His hands came around to the small of her back, pulling her fully against his body, making her breath catch in her throat.

Maria put her arms around his neck as he trailed kisses along her cheek and began kissing her neck, leaving her knees weak.

"Us being alone in a bedroom is a very bad idea," the Captain whispered into her ear, sending waves of heat through her.

"Yes, yes it is," Maria responded quietly, her breathy voice betraying her thoughts.

She stepped back, a smile on her face and her eyes happy. "I really should go get dressed though."

The Captain smiled back. "Yes, probably. We do have to leave in," he checked his watch, "ten minutes." He shook his head, beginning to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Maria demanded.

"Nothing, nothing," he chuckled, "It's just that every other woman I know takes at least an hour to get ready and you just need less than ten minutes and still look beautiful."

Maria's face glowed, her next words sending the two into more laughter. "Thank you, Captain. I promise I won't be late this time!"

She ran out of his room, feeling ten times more confident, and soon was all ready to leave.

The two took a taxi to Carnegie Hall and sat down in their seats.

Maria sat in her seat, the faint scent of the Captain's cologne making her heart beat faster. How she was here alone with him, she had no idea.

The music started and Maria raptly listened to every note, every phrase.

During intermission, they exited into the lobby where champagne was served. Both of their minds immediately going to the night of the ball, the Captain's face darkened. Maria noticed immediately, and she put a reassuring hand on his arm. "Captain, that night is over. We're in America, and we're safe."

"I still don't like it," he growled. "We're not getting anything to drink here."

Maria was taken aback. "Captain…" she chastised.

He looked at her intensely, making her insides flip. "We'll have something to drink when we get home, I promise. I just can't take any chances, I can't…" his voice trailed off and Maria looked at him, sympathy filling her eyes.

After a minute he recovered his voice and continued, "I can't lose you like I did after that night and I can't do something to you that compromised you like I did that night."

Maria swallowed. "Captain, all of that was out of our control. You aren't to blame for any of it. What happened that night," she blushed, "was something that happened on both of our parts. Neither one of us was at fault. I promise that I don't hold you accountable for any of it. In fact, I…" the words 'I love you more' were about to roll right off her tongue but she stopped and continued weakly instead with, "I respect you more for everything you did to protect me before and after that night."

The Captain nodded, taking her hand in comfort, locking eyes with her and exchanging more through their eye contact than they could through words.

The lights dimmed and they returned to the concert hall.

Once the concert was over, Maria exclaimed, "Oh, Captain, that was lovely! I enjoyed every second of it!"

The Captain's eyes brightened. "I did as well."

They walked slowly outside, the soft night breeze swaying Maria's dress.

The taxi pulled up, and they got into the backseat, the Captain replying to the taxi driver with, "the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens please."

"Captain? What? Where are we going?" Maria said, turning to look at him, slight alarm on her face.

"Oh, it's a little surprise, Maria."

His tense shoulders and fidgeting fingers and legs seemed to indicate _something_ to Maria, and she asked with a laugh, "Are you nervous about something?"

"No," he replied indignantly.

She playfully shoved his shoulder. "You are too. Now, please, please tell me where we are going! Why are we going to the gardens this late at night?"

The Captain remained silent, simply giving her a wicked grin and responding with, "You'll see eventually."

Roughly half an hour later, much longer than Maria was expecting, the taxi rolled to a stop, and the two got out.

"Captain, will you please tell me what's going on?" Maria tried one more time.

"Oh, good, the workers told me they would leave it open and the gardens lit," the Captain said to himself.

"Captain?" Maria asked, her voice heavy with apprehension, her heart beating wildly.

Leading her into the gardens, Maria looked around and up, her eyes wide, forgetting about everything for a moment. "Oh, Captain! It's gorgeous!"

There were flowers everywhere, and the trees were a light pink, their fragrance all around.

They walked a little farther into the gardens, the small lights creating a soft glow.

Approaching a small white gazebo, Maria looked over at the Captain. "Oh, it's just like the one back at your villa!"

He nodded, half a smile on his face.

Once they were inside the gazebo, Maria crossed her arms. "Now, will you tell me why we're here?"

The Captain nodded, and he slowly got down on one knee, holding a box open in front of him, a ring sparkling in the center of it.

"Maria, will you marry me?"

Maria's hands flew to her face and her mouth opened in a gasp. "Oh, yes!" He stood up and she flung her arms around his neck in an embrace. He leaned back, holding the simple yet stunning ring in his hand. "May I?" He asked, unable to stop the smile from spreading on his face.

Maria held her breath as she held out her hand, and the Captain slipped the ring onto her finger. Holding her hand up to admire it, she whispered, "Oh, it's beautiful!"

Before they could say any more, the Captain asked, "Maria, is there anyone I should to go to…to ask permission to marry you?"

"Well, why don't we ask-" "The children?" Both said simultaneously, smiling.

Maria looked into his eyes, his blue eyes that had captivated her since the beginning, and breathed, "I love you." The Captain straightened, grasping her hands.

"I am saying that I am in love with you," she repeated, her voice stronger. He opened her mouth to say something but she continued. "I am sorry I didn't say it sooner but it was easier to pretend that I didn't love you."

She shook her head. "You were never part of the plan, I mean, I was never supposed to meet you and fall for you but I did both of these things and now I am in all over my head and it scares me because I am not what you need and one day I'm afraid you'll realize it. I was scared of so many things, and that's why I tried to run but…the pull is just too strong and I _don't_ want to _ever_ live without you." At this point, she was a mess, tears streaming down her cheeks but she couldn't stop talking. She needed to say it all.

"And when you came into my life, you changed everything. We make each other so much _better_ when we're together and no matter how much we tried to fight it we can't be apart because we _need_ each other. I love you _so_ much," her voice broke with passion and emotion.

"Maria," Georg said, his hand falling on her shoulder. Slowly, almost hesitantly, she raised her hand and put it on his chest, right over the steady beat of his heart. "Maria, look at me," he demanded softly.

She raised her eyes to meet his. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs, cupping her cheeks in the process. "I don't think you realize how much I love you. And I don't think that you realize how scared I am too. You weren't part of my plan either," he laughed, making her smile.

"And don't ever think that you aren't what I need because you have completely brought the meaning, the light back into my life. I love you. Because you're kind. Because of your smile, your laugh. Because you're beautiful. Because of the way you're not afraid to do what is best. Because of the way you sing. Because of they way you live life so joyously. Because…"

"Okay, okay," she giggled, through a few new tears. "Stop!"

"Are you sure?" He asked, his tone playful. "Because I could go on for hours listing all the reasons as to why I love you."

He grew quiet for a moment, and Maria asked, "Is everything okay?"

He leaned his head down and pressed a soft kiss to her nose. "Just thinking," he assured her and leaned back again.

"About what?"

"You. Me. The danger I've brought into your life."

"Captain," she sighed in return, prompting him to correct her, "Georg." She laughed. "Oh, that's right, I have to get used to that now."

"Georg, I'm choosing _you._ I'm choosing to _marry_ you!" Laughter bubbled up in her throat. She felt like she was floating on clouds. "I'm choosing to stay and to be with you. All of you. I know we have a road ahead of us and that bumps are inevitable, but I'm here to stay. And I wouldn't want to go through life with anyone else but you." She brought up her hand from his chest to cup his cheek.

"I don't deserve you," he whispered and leaned into her touch.

She wriggled out of his arms and for a split second he feared that she'd leave, but instead, she sat down on the bench, pulling him with her. He sat down, simply looking at her, and she boldly swing a leg across him and sat up, straddling him, her hands flat on his chest.

"Stop it," she chided and leaned down, her lips only an inch from his. "Maybe I'm the one who doesn't deserve you," she whispered, her breath ghosting over his lips.

Before he could protest, her lips pressed down on his, pulling him into a passionate kiss that almost made him forget his own name. She ran her tongue over his bottom lip, her hands fisting in his hair. Gladly, he obliged and opened his mouth, eager to grant her access. Their tongues fought a deliciously slow duel for domination, while his hands found their way over her thighs to her waist.

Slowly, he brought one of his hands up, moving it between them, slowly running his fingers over her stomach until he reached the exquisite swell of her breasts. Teasingly, he splayed his fingers across her breast, and the sound that ripped from her throat at the contact, even despite the clothes between, was caught somewhere between a gasp and a cry, muffled by his lips, sending desire flaring through his body.

"You do realize that trying to maintain our control is going to be harder than ever now that we're engaged?" the Captain asked, his voice low.

"Mmhmm, but do we really have to wait long to get married?" Maria asked, leaning back to look at him.

"Well, we don't have to wait a long time, but we do have to wait," the Captain paused to think. "We'll get married in Stowe. It'll be a small wedding, obviously—"

"But none of that matters because after our wedding, we'll be _married_ ," Maria smiled.

She grew serious for a moment, whispering to him, "Oh, can this really be happening to me?"

In response, he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I can't even really believe it's all real either," he said.

They were silent for a moment, reveling the feeling of being in each other's arms.

"I do suppose we should head back, we really aren't supposed to be here," the Captain said, interrupting the silence.

"Yes, I suppose so," Maria said, pulling herself off his lap and standing up.

Tentatively reaching out for his hand, Maria grasped it and they interlocked their fingers, walking slowly back out of the gardens.

Before she could help it, Maria burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" the Captain asked, turning to look at her.

"Oh, nothing, it's just that I can't wait to see the children's reactions and Klara's reactions because they've been waiting for us to get together," Maria laughed.

The Captain chuckled, squeezing her hand affectionately. "Oh, so was Axel, ever since the beginning, he was trying to convince me to get together with you, but you were going to be a nun and…"

"I suppose we were meant to end up together. It still amazes me, you know. I guess it appears everyone just happened to see it before we knew we loved each other," the Captain smiled.

Maria's heart skipped a beat, everything starting to sink in. They _loved_ each other, and they were going to get _married._


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: The next update won't take as long as this one did. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with this story, but I think I have it figured out now. Also, this is probably one of my nastier cliff-hangers….sorry._

The next morning, Maria and the Captain sat down at the breakfast table with the children and Axel and Klara. Maria's hands felt clammy, and she rubbed them on her dress under the table. Successful in keeping her ring out of sight until the announcement, Maria was glad no one had seen or commented on it yet. Honestly, Maria didn't know how much longer she could keep her mouth shut about the engagement. The words were on the tip of her tongue, threatening to spill out with every second that passed. Moreover, she was scared about the children's reactions. What if they didn't want a new mother? What if they thought she was trying to replace their first mother? Maria took a gulp of breath, and glanced at the Captain, who caught her gaze, his eyes twinkling back at her. He subtly nodded reassuringly, and Maria relaxed, a smile returning to her face.

"So…" Klara started, her eyes regaining their all-too familiar mischievous gleam. "How was your night, Georg and Maria? Tell us about the concert!"

"Oh, it was lovely," Maria gushed. "The music was spectacular!"

The Captain nodded, adding with a soft smile, "We have something to tell you all, actually. We didn't _just_ go to the concert last night…" Liesl froze, her fork hovering mid-air, her eyes wide, darting between Maria and her father. Georg stood up, walking behind Maria and affectionately resting his hands on her shoulders.

"You see, I proposed to Maria last night and…she said yes. That is, if you will allow us to marry," the Captain announced. He had barely finished his sentence before cheers erupted from around the table, the children jumping up to kiss Maria and hug their father. Axel got up, smiling, and clapped Georg on the back. He kissed Maria's hand. "Congratulations," he grinned.

Klara's brown eyes shone with pure joy, a huge smile on her face. Klara embraced both of them tightly. "You two belong together, and I could not be happier for you both." She stage-whispered to Maria, playfully nudging her shoulder, "See? I told you that you two would be married. Thanks to yours truly, look how happy you both are!"

"Klara," Maria chastised jokingly.

Klara laughed. "I'm just joking. I am so excited you are getting married!"

Maria laughed, and she caught the Captain's eyes, making her realize how perfect everything felt in that moment.

Brigitta gasped. "Your ring!" All the girls crowded around Maria, admiring the sparkling diamond.

"Father, you did a good job," Gretl announced, sending everyone into laughter.

"You'll be our new mother?" Marta asked shyly, looking up at Maria.

Maria swallowed. "Well, yes, but I will never ever replace your real mother-"

She was interrupted by Marta and Gretl throwing their arms around her, Marta saying, "We love you so much, Fraulein Maria! We're so glad you'll be our new mother."

A tear of relief and happiness escaped from the corner of Maria's eyes, and she looked at the Captain, his own eyes glimmering with emotion as well. He couldn't help but grin because, after everything that had happened, he and Maria were _together_.

"Okay, I am going to need the details. How did you propose?" Klara asked, and they proceeded to tell everyone exactly how the previous night's big question had arisen.

XXX

After lunch that day, the Captain pulled Axel and Klara aside.

"Yes?" Klara asked, curious.

"Maria and I were talking," he looked over at her lovingly, "and we think that we should move to Stowe, Vermont."

Axel and Klara didn't look surprised. "You miss the feel of the outdoors and Austria," Axel stated, and the Captain nodded his head.

"I…simply feel like we don't truly belong here in the midst of the city," the Captain replied.

"Well, you know we would love to go with you and move to Stowe as well," Axel said with a knowing smile, "But I'll see what I can do."

Klara whispered to Maria, "That means we're coming with you. I'll just persuade him a little more tonight," she winked, "to make sure we won't be staying here alone. You and the Captain and his children are too much fun to be around."

Maria smiled back. The Captain, his children, and Klara and Axel made her so _happy_ , she couldn't begin to describe it in words.

"And," Axel started with an apologetic grin, "you two are going to need a chaperone now that you are engaged…"

The Captain inwardly groaned, and Maria almost let out a sigh.

"It is quite convenient that Klara and I are here with you, so we could be your chaperones," Axel offered.

"Thank you. We appreciate it," the Captain replied, sarcasm oozing from his voice.

Axel patted the Captain on the back roughly. "Thought you would. You're welcome."

Klara laughed, but gave a sympathetic grin to the couple.

The Captain asked, "Maria, could I have a word with you in my study?"

Her heart jumped. "Yes, of course."

Axel followed the two. "Just leave the door open," he called.

The Captain glared back at him and led Maria into his study.

Maria followed the Captain into his study and stood in front of him. "What is it?"

He held up a telegram. "I've been requested to attend a naval dinner tonight."

Maria smiled. "Oh, Georg, that's wonderful!"

He swallowed. "I think it would be safe, but—"

Maria looked at him, interrupting with, "Georg, we're in America. You know the people who are hosting the party-" he nodded "-and so I don't see any problem with it."

"I would say yes but the problem is that it is a _dinner_ , so we have to eat. I would say yes if we could discreetly avoid eating and drinking, but…" the Captain trailed off, torment in his eyes.

"I think it would be vital and a good opportunity. Georg, we can't avoid everything outside of the home," Maria told him.

He looked down and started to pace in front of her.

"Besides, I would like to meet some of the people you work with," Maria added.

The Captain thought about it. "Everyone there _is_ on our side. There won't be any Nazis there," he stated.

"Exactly. Things here are much more tame than on the other side of the ocean," Maria replied. "I think we should go."

"It's quite short notice. The telegram must have been delayed."

"I'll be fine, I can get ready quickly." Maria's confidence had grown now that she had actually attended a few parties.

He finally relented. "Alright." He added, looking at her intensely, "Only under the circumstances that I keep you in my sight at _all_ times. I don't care if you get up to walk into the other room, I don't care if you have to go to the bathroom, I don't care if we're simply on opposite sides of a room, we are staying together and I am keeping you in my sight the entire night."

The tiny spark in Maria's belly had turned into a fire at his words. She touched his arm. "We will be together, and God will keep us safe."

The Captain glanced towards the open door, and, not seeing anyone in sight, drew Maria in for a kiss.

He placed his hands on the small of her back and brought her closer to him. "I can't stay away from you," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear and making her shiver.

" _I_ can't stay away from _you_ ," she whispered back, her heart stopping for a second when her eyes met his.

He pressed his lips gently to hers and what he meant to be a quick, small, chaste kiss rapidly turned into a desperate flurry of passion.

She flung her arms around his neck and he moved his hands up and down her back, his lips parting to let her tongue in. She arched her back into him, desire coursing through her.

He groaned, pressing into her, trying to feel every part of her against him.

Finally, Maria stepped back, but her knees completely buckled. The Captain swept forward to wrap an arm around her waist.

Completely out of breath, she panted, "I guess we have to go back into the living room before we get caught."

He grinned, pressing a kiss to her nose. "I suppose so."

But neither of them moved.

"I don't hear any talking!" came Axel's voice from down the hallway.

Maria and the Captain looked at each other and Maria rolled her eyes. "Just a couple weeks," she said.

"Just a couple weeks," he repeated.

"I love you so much," she breathed.

"I love _you_ ," he said back, pressing his lips to her forehead.

They reluctantly parted to join Axel and Klara back in the living room to discuss the night.

XXX

Maria was dressed a simple light blue gown and she walked with the Captain to their car. He was dressed in his uniform with is white gloves on his hands.

"Taxis are too unpredictable," he had explained when she asked why they were taking the car.

She settled into the seat, the setting sun creating a soft glow. The Captain looked over at her.

"Hi." He whispered breathlessly. "You look beautiful."

She grinned back. "Hallo. You don't look so bad yourself."

He smiled and leaned over to kiss her again – he can't not kiss her because it's a need that takes over everything in that split second. He slid his hand up the back of her neck, cupping the back of her head. This one was chaste, quiet, but they both lingered, just holding each other. He itched to do more, feel more of her. He wanted to get rid of the gloves, find the warmth of her skin, dive in and never leave…

His pants were suddenly a little tighter, and it didn't help when her breasts brushed against his chest. He bit back a groan and pulled back.

"We should start planning the wedding," the Captain said.

"I'm pretty sure Klara has the entire thing already planned out," Maria laughed.

The Captain chuckled. "Probably."

They continued talking until they reached the large house on the outskirts of the city.

They both sat in the car, looking, remembering the last time they had been in a big house for a party.

Maria reached over and intertwined her fingers with the Captain's. "It'll be okay."

He looked over at her, and squeezed her hand. They finally got out of the car and entered the house.

Dinner had gone quite smoothly, and Maria could almost say she felt at ease. She was still a little nervous about such large social events, but when the Captain was next to her, most of her nerves disappeared and she regained the confidence she knew she had.

When many of the couples started to move to the ballroom, Maria and the Captain stared at each other for another minute and suddenly, the tension between them grew, getting more intense. His blue eyes were solely focused on her, making her forget about the people and the world around them. Her eyes fell on his lips and it made her unconsciously part her own. He leaned down toward her and placed a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth, grabbing her hand as he did so.

"What are you doing?" She whispered against his lips as he intertwined their fingers together.

"Dance with me," he whispered back, his voice low and soft enough to send a shiver all over her body, as if he had traced the bare skin of her waistline with his hand and not her silk covered skin.

She smiled. "You don't need to ask."

He led her towards the dance floor and pulled her into his embrace, her soft curves against his hard chest. He slid his hands to the small of her back and she barely held back a gasp. Her own hands moved of their own accord up to his impossibly broad shoulders. Their eyes never left each other's, bodies slipping together until there was nothing between them. Her breath caught at the feeling of his hard frame pressed against almost every inch of hers.

They couldn't keep their eyes off of each other's, and when he ran his fingers up her spine and her body responded with a shiver and small goosebumps, he was done. No force on earth could have pulled him away. He did it again and reveled in the way her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in a small gasp. He could get addicted to that sound coming from her mouth.

Maria could hardly breathe. The Captain kept pulling her in tighter, little by little. She definitely wasn't imagining the desire in his eyes, was she? When his fingertips skipped up her spine again, she gasped minutely again and his eyes darkened and she knew she wasn't imagining. He felt it too. And she realized she had felt it ever since they danced the Laendler. This electricity that seemed to generate every time they touched. Everywhere that they touched.

Maria's hands slid from his shoulders to the back of his neck and he closed his eyes involuntarily at the sensation. When her nails scraped across his scalp, a groan rumbled through his chest and his eyes flew open. Her eyes darkened, her tongue slipping out to wet her lips.

They danced for a while, Maria's insides feeling all warm and fuzzy. She closed her eyes as they swirled around the dance floor, trusting him. She hummed softly happily, and a small smile tugged at her lips and she raised her head up, meeting Georg's eyes, which were shining brightly.

XXX

Once they had left the house and were in the darkness next to their car, the Captain moved without a word and pressed Maria up against the side of the car, her soft body crushed sweetly against his body.

Her breath caught. "Georg-"

He captured her lips hungrily and she immediately responded, threading her fingers through his hair.

"You're my fiancée," he said, his voice full of love and awe.

"You'll be my husband soon," Maria said back, her heart beating a thousand miles per hour.

XXX

In the car, they continued to talk about the wedding until the Captain asked, "Are you feeling better?"

She looked at him, question in her eyes.

"In the mornings and everything?"

"Oh," she responded, thinking. "Well, I think the drug is out of my system because I haven't gotten any flashes recently, but I still get sick in the mornings. It's gotten a little better, actually, so I'm sure the drug is working itself out of my body. I have been feeling more tired than usual, but it's nothing worrisome."

He nodded. "Before we leave for Stowe, we should go back to the doctor."

Maria agreed. "Oh, I can't wait for Stowe! I am truly excited."

"Me too," he said. There was a small moment of silence until they were all of a sudden blinded.

The Captain's eyes widened as he realized it was the headlights of a car that was barreling straight towards them.

"Captain!" Maria yelled. It was clear the car wasn't going to get out of the way, and so the Captain swerved, narrowly missing the car.

He unconsciously hit the brakes and looked over at Maria. Her eyes were huge with fear. "Are you okay?" He asked. "I'm fine," Maria said. "Are you?"

Except in that moment, the Captain saw in the mirror the same car stop and turn back around, coming at an angle at the side of the car.

The Captain tried to floor it but the other car was coming directly at them like a hurricane. Maria took a deep breath, and took the only chance she might get, eyes closing in belief of him.

"I love you."

She opened her eyes to look him.

He looked over at her, his eyes conveying the exact same words back to her, and the car hit.

It hit harder than she had thought, the impact sending the car screeching forward onto the empty road. A yell left her before she could stop.

The Captain was frantically trying to take control of the vehicle, and Maria tried to ignore the way her knees hurt, her eyes widening when she saw the black car come at her again, hitting their smaller car with so much force that they went careening into the side this time, flipping, toppling to the ground. The car cart-wheeled and stopped, inverted, with them trapped inside.

Her vision was blurring but she heard the Captain's frantic voice. "Maria?"

As much as she tried to will it, her mouth refused to open. Her vision swam even more and she slowly attempted to touch her forehead. She felt sticky wetness on the scalp. She could physically feel her fear, mingled with his own.

"Maria! Maria! Please answer me, damn it!"

His voice was thick of an emotion she couldn't name, anger and fear and desperation all mixed into one. She wanted so badly to close her eyes now and try not so hard any more, just to rest for a minute.

"Maria! Say something! Please!"

She spluttered, blood spilling from her mouth.

"MARIA!"

She blinked groggily, managing a small croak that hurt her throat, before she slowly slipped into nothingness, her body aching and her ears ringing, his voice the last thing she heard.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: I have this huge thing going on for the next month so I won't have time to write but you guys can expect an update in early September._

 _Also, these next few chapters are going to be a little historically inaccurate, so I'm sorry about that! It just helps the flow of the story so much more._

XXX

Just hours later, Georg sat at Maria's bedside in her room in the hospital, sitting in the chair centimeters from her bed, grasping her limp hand and whispering anguished pleas for her to wake up.

The doctors had bandaged her and cleaned all the blood off of her and were monitoring her every second since she had gotten into the hospital – she was in critical condition.

Georg was so overwhelmed that he didn't even know what he was feeling nor how to express anything. All he could do was hold her hand, the hand that just hours ago he had held and made warm with sparks that flowed between them as they danced joyously at the party but now felt cold and heavy.

He didn't even realize there was a deep gash in his arm until the nurse pointed it out with alarm as she saw the blood seeping from his disheveled white dress shirt; he had already shed his suit coat. It was only until he laid his head to rest on Maria's stomach when he realized the immense pain he felt in his neck and his head.

The nurse came in to tell him that they had to treat him as well, but her command only elicited a fiercely loud response from Georg. "No! Stop!" He repeated, his eyes wild and his hair in a tousled mess. "I refuse to leave her."

The nurse tried to argue with him, but realized it was no use. She left, and Georg ignored his physical pain as his heart broke in two as he watched Maria lay there, deathly pale, eyes closed, resting under the bleak white blankets. _He couldn't lose her. He couldn't. She_ had _to recover from this._ Clutching her hands to his forehead, he realized the only thing he could do now was pray. He prayed harder than he ever had, trying to hold on to the last thread of hope that existed.

The doctors who were coming in and frantically talking to each other became a complete blur to him. He had no idea how much time had passed until he looked up at the commotion of the children rushing in with Axel and Klara on their heels.

The children gasped and tears sprung to the eyes of all seven. Gretl and Marta were both sobbing uncontrollably and Liesl was doing her best to comfort them and keep them calm. The Captain stood up and looked at all of them and tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it wouldn't disappear.

"I don't know—" His hoarse voice broke off.

Klara rushed forward and wrapped him in her arms, tears spilling down her face. And that was when Georg finally couldn't take it. His body started shaking, wracked with broken, silent sobs as tears escaped from his red-rimmed eyes.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. He cried so hard and his chest felt like it had constricted so much that he could barely breathe. The doctor had already told him that there was a chance Maria wouldn't survive, and he must prepare himself. He refused to believe such a thing, but now the weight of the situation was finally hitting him, and the fact that Maria's life was on the line completely and utterly broke him. He didn't know how the world could keep spinning without her. His world couldn't, he knew that much.

Georg stayed by Maria's bedside for the next 24 hours which became the next 48 hours. He didn't sleep, he didn't eat, he didn't shower.

Klara and Axel brought the children out of the room to eat and sleep at their home.

Finally, once everyone was sitting at Maria's side over 48 hours after she had been brought in, the doctor walked in, looking gravely at them all.

"We've done everything we could," the doctor started out, and Georg clenched his hands into fists. "However, I'm sorry to tell you that Maria is brain dead…" Georg didn't hear anything after that even though he saw the doctor's mouth keep moving. He refused to believe it.

The last few words the doctor spoke barely registered with Georg. "…And let me know when you are ready to let her go."

Something in the Captain snapped. The doctor made to exit the room to give them family time, but the Captain stood up to his full height and intercepted the doctor, blocking his way out of the door.

Eyes blazing, Georg waited to give it to the doctor until he had Klara and Axel usher the children out the door. Once it was just him and the doctor, Georg erupted, "Excuse me? What the hell? I should let her go? This isn't about letting go, good god, you're asking me to quit on her!"

His voice rose and rose until he was breathing hard and his fists were clenched into tight fists, his fingers white. "I will _not_ quit on her! I am never going to give up on Maria! So you tell me she's brain dead—"

"Yes sir, she has not been responsive for the past two days," the doctor said meekly.

"Two days?! Two fucking days?! How do you know she's brain dead? How do you know?"

The doctor attempted an answer, but Georg interrupted. "I don't want to hear it right now. I'm staying here, and I am not quitting on her no matter what you say." He was delirious and, exhausted, he closed his eyes for a second and opened them, looking straight into the doctor's eyes. "I refuse to give up on her."

The doctor pursed his lips and nodded curtly, exiting the room after saying quietly, "I'll give you some more time."

 _Time._ _What a strange thing,_ Georg thought. The word held no meaning for him in a time like this at the same time it held all the meaning in the world.

Georg collapsed next to Maria, struggling for air. He stayed frozen like that save for rubbing his thumb along her hand for the next several hours.

He let out a shaky breath after he realized he had been holding his breath for too long.

"Please God," he whispered into their joined hands in desperation, "I know that I have done nothing to warrant your graces, but Maria has done everything right, and she," tears started streaming down his face, "she deserves life. I know we aren't hundreds of people, but my family and I _need_ her, and I can't understand why you would have to take her now. So please, I beg you to save her."

Georg squeezed his eyes shut until suddenly he felt movements in Maria's hand. He gasped, eyes wide as he looked at Maria, waiting for movement again. He thought he was dreaming when he saw her eyes slowly flutter open.

It took a moment for her eyes to eventually focus but when they did, they landed on Georg's face. He clenched her hand and leaned in.

"Maria?" He whispered. He had to be hallucinating.

"Georg," she sighed, a small smile on her face.

Her face crinkled in confusion for a moment. "Where am I?"

Georg's heart stopped. What if she had forgotten?

"We're in the hospital. We were in a horrific automobile accident, Maria."

She closed her eyes. "Oh, I remember. My leg hurts a lot."

"It's really you?" Georg asked hesitantly, his world turning upside down and back upright again.

Maria laughed. "It's really me. Don't worry, they can't get rid of me yet."

Georg was ecstatic and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She held tightly on to his hand.

He let out a shaky breath and tears started to run down his face.

"Darling, it's alright," she whispered.

"No, it's not," he choked out, "I almost lost you."

She weakly reached her hand up to wipe away the tears running down his face. Looking into his red-rimmed eyes, she said, "I'm here. I'll always be with you. I love you, Georg."

"I love you too," he breathed back.

The doctor came in later to be in absolute shock as he viewed Maria with her eyes open, able to talk normally and move her hands and one leg.

"I am flabbergasted," he exclaimed. "It's a miracle!"

Georg thought back to his desperate pleas to God and looked into Maria's eyes. In that instant, she knew exactly what had happened. God had granted them a miracle.

"I'm sorry darling, I'm just so tired," Maria slowly said, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Let her sleep. After a traumatic event like this, sleep can only help," the doctor said.

Georg, content that Maria was okay, got up from his chair. His knees nearly buckled from stiffness. He went out to walk it out and get some water to drink when he bumped into Axel outside of the room.

"Axel, we've got to find the bastard who did this," Georg growled.

"I don't think we'll have to look too long, Georg. I have a pretty good idea of what happened," Axel replied.


	23. Chapter 23

"What happened?" Georg demanded.

Axel began, "Well, it's Zeller. That man is a lunatic, I tell you."

Georg's eyes widened and his eyebrows raised. "You must be joking."

"I am completely serious. He sent someone to crash into your car, and you'll never guess who it was."

Georg insisted, "Who?"

"Hans, your friend who flew us out of Europe."

Georg took a step back. "Axel, I trust you, but you must have been misinformed. Hans would _never_ betray me like that." His eyes grew distant, and he said in a sad voice, "At least the Hans that I knew."

Axel continued, "Zeller brainwashed Hans. He took him when he learned that Hans had flown you to America and threatened to kill him. Georg, Hans would have given his life for you. According to the telegram I received from Fritz, Hans told Zeller to take his life because there was no way he would aid in harming you or your family. Hans cracked when Zeller threatened to hurt his family. He flew himself to America and did as Zeller asked. He spied on you, informed Zeller, and crashed into you."

Georg took a deep breath and ran his hand through his already completely disheveled hair. "Christ."

"Hans was found unconscious and put into a, uh, home. Some sort of mental hospital until they know what to do with him," Axel trailed off.

Georg looked at Axel. "I've got to get him out! His family must be sick with worry," he said vehemently.

"Georg, Georg. I've got it. I'm working on it. Let Klara and I take care of it. From now on, all you should worry about is helping Maria heal and spending time with your family," Axel said softly.

Georg exhaled a shaky breath. "Thank you."

"It is nothing compared to what you have done for him and for me and Klara," Axel replied. "Now, I am ordering you," Georg's eyebrows arched up in surprise and amusement, "to go take a shower, change your clothes, and get something to eat. You look like hell."

Georg chuckled. "Yes Captain," he muttered sarcastically. Axel clapped him on the back forcefully in good humor and Georg, once he knew Maria would be completely safe, went to go take care of himself.

A couple hours later, Georg came back into Maria's hospital room to see her sitting up and eating some bread with the children. A soft smile spread across her face as she looked at him. The children parted to let the Captain come next to Maria's bed and they simply looked at each other, the rest of the world completely falling away.

Klara stood up from the corner, announcing that she would take the children out for a walk, and they all filed out of the room, their spirits lifted from seeing Maria able to sit up and talk with them.

And fortunately it gave Georg and Maria much needed alone time.

"You're still here," she stated, her voice filled with a sort of wonder.

Georg nodded, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He looked behind him and pulled up a chair, sitting next to her. He tenderly cupped her cheek in his hand and she leaned into his warm hand, closing her eyes.

"I'll always be here, Maria. In sickness and in health," Georg whispered.

She opened her eyes, looking at him with glimmering eyes as she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

Their eyes locked and in that moment their eyes said so much more than words ever could.

"If we could survive all of this, we can survive anything," Maria whispered.

Georg nodded, blinking as his vision unexpectedly blurred and his throat closed up.

"We have so much ahead of us," Maria continued. "God can't take away our future now, not when we have the best to come."

Georg smiled a half smile and leaned towards her, resting his forehead against hers. They closed their eyes and reveled in the moment that God had given them _time._

 ** _A/N:_** _So sorry for the crazy delay with this update. The truth was I thought there would be a slight delay because I was traveling but during that trip everything in my life suddenly completely changed and it has been pretty much hell, so I'm just trying to sort things out right now, so thanks for your patience and I am so grateful to everyone who is still reading this story! I know this was a short chapter but I just wanted to get back into writing and give you guys something._


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N:**_ _I am not giving up on this story. I promise you all that. I can't believe it's been almost a year since the last update, and for that I am so sorry. Real life has been a bit of a nightmare, but things are starting to brighten up and settle down just a bit. Hopefully updates will start coming a bit more frequently from me now. Apologies for the wait, and thank you to everyone for your patience and continuing to keep with this story! I am so so grateful to all of you!_

About a week had lapsed, and Maria was finally well enough to travel. While there were no threats or drama that had arisen since they had discovered Hans was the one who tried to kill him and Maria, the Captain was still on edge.

The Captain and Maria had made the joint decision to begin moving to Stowe as soon as she healed.

Maria winced as Klara helped her into the front seat of the car. "Will you be alright?" Klara asked concernedly.

"I'm doing great," Maria responded, looking down at her legs, "just a little sore still from the accident."

Klara nodded in understanding. "Before you know it you'll be in Stowe and you'll be fully healed."

Maria smiled and clasped Klara's hand. "Safe travels," Klara wished her, and Maria responded, "Safe travels to you too."

Klara shut the car door for Maria and Maria turned around in her seat to see all seven children piled in the back. They looked tired but excited, and upon seeing Maria's reassuring smile, their faces all brightened.

The Captain slid in the car and looked over at Maria. "Okay?" He whispered.

"Okay," she breathed, resting her hand on his forearm.

The Captain looked in the mirror at the children, his expression jovial. "Who's ready for mountains and beautiful scenery and a new home?"

The children cheered, and Maria couldn't help but love them even more. As the Captain pulled away from the New York apartment, she couldn't believe how resilient and loving these seven children were. Seven children who had lost their mother and, in a sense, lost their father too, for several years. Seven children whose lives were uprooted in a matter of hours, traveled across the ocean to a new continent and now to a new state. Maria's eyes filled with tears for a second, and, after blinking them away, she turned around to look at them again. "I love you all so much," she said.

"We love you too, Fraulein Maria!" They chorused back, and out of the corner of her eye, Maria saw the Captain smile softly, and her heart grew in her chest.

The Captain pulled away from the house, and they all settled in for the ride.

Not even half an hour into the trip, the Captain put one hand to his head and exaggeratedly groaned as Maria and the children started to sing a medley of songs with complete and utter joy, but he was truly delighted to be with the eight people he loved the most and hear the joy in their melodious voices. How things had changed since just a year ago.

Xxx

After driving up a rather steep incline of the foothills of the Vermont mountains, they finally reached their destination and the Captain pulled the car slowly up to the huge house, or mansion, Maria thought would be a better term. Cries of astonishment came from the children and Maria turned to face her fiancé, scarcely able to breathe. "Are we really going to live here?" He nodded and smiled, clasping her hand. Maria couldn't believe her eyes or her life. Was this all a dream? It felt so surreal. The Captain seemed to have read her mind, as he squeezed her hand in his and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "It's real, it's ours, and we're going to be so happy here."

Maria smiled and when the car rolled to a stop in front of large wooden doors, all seven kids tumbled out of the car in a race to see the interior.

Amused, the Captain looked back at Maria. "I suppose we'll have to wait to unpack our belongings."

Maria laughed, and the two got out of the car. Maria took the Captain's hand in hers and together they walked into their new home.

It was absolutely breathtaking. Maria felt the same way she did when she arrived at the von Trapp villa in Austria: stunned speechless.

A large staircase to the side, a large common space to the front with a large fireplace, and multiple hallways, one of which she peeked led to the dining room. The high ceiling, wood walls, and soft carpet seemed all too inviting.

Xxx

That night after dinner as the Captain and Maria were enjoying a talk in a small den that held a piano and many books not to mention the extraordinarily comfortable chairs they were sitting in, they reflected on the day.

"It's so nice to be settled in here, with the children in their rooms and our things in their places, oh, Captain, I am so excited that we're here!" Maria said, looking out the large glass window behind them to the vast land and twinkling lights of the town below.

The Captain smiled widely in agreement, and then lightly tapped Maria's nose playfully. "Georg, not Captain, Maria."

She let out a huff of laughter. "Of course, Georg," she replied, leaning back towards him to kiss his cheek.

He stilled for a moment. "Klara and Axel won't get here until tomorrow."

"I know," Maria said.

The Captain simply looked at her, their eyes locked, as it finally dawned on Maria: they were without chaperones for a night and it was getting later and later in the night.

Maria found it hard to breathe all of a sudden, and she stood up and placed a firm kiss on the Captain's lips. Too surprised to react, the Captain stood up abruptly. "Now, Maria, we-"

She cut him off by flinging herself into his arms and kissing him wildly. He couldn't resist kissing her back with just as much passion, and pulling her closer to him by her waist. Maria's hands wandered over his broad shoulders to his muscular back, drawing him even closer to her until she could feel the slight bulge in his pants. Surprised to find that it didn't scare her, Maria pushed her hips into his and he let out a groan. A growing ache between her thighs was driving her mad and she whimpered in pleasure as the Captain's hands on her waist wandered to her back and then further down her body to pull her into him as he caressed her cheek with kisses and then began to kiss her neck.

Simultaneously, they took a small step back from each other, both breathing heavily for air.

"I need you so badly, but we've agreed to wait until our wedding night, and I can't bear the thought of not being with you right now, when Axel and Klara are gone, but I will have to manage because saving this," Maria put her hands on his chest, "until marriage is important to both of us."

He nodded, stroking her arms. "It is."

They stood silent for a moment, composing themselves, and then Georg whispered huskily, "I hope we can marry as soon as possible."

Maria pressed her forehead to his, looking into his eyes. "Me too, darling, me too."

"I love you," the Captain said.

"I love you too." Maria and the Captain started to slowly go upstairs to their respective bedrooms.

"Good night," the Captain said.

"Good night, Georg," Maria whispered as she gathered the strength to walk back to her room and fall asleep.

The next morning, the previously hired household staff arrived just before dawn. Both adults and children slept in, and the cook prepared a wonderful breakfast for them all. _It all feels so_ right, Maria thought, sipping her orange juice and looking at the seven lovely children around her and their impossibly handsome father in front of her.

It was mid-afternoon when Klara and Axel rang. The Captain greeted them and Maria was not far behind him. "Reunited once again," Axel announced, grinning. They all exchanged hugs and Klara asked where the children were.

"Oh, they spent the morning exploring every inch of this house and now they're outside, looking to see what else they can find, I'm sure. It is truly wonderful here. We are so blessed," Maria sighed happily.

"We couldn't be happier for you," Axel said. "And ourselves, quite frankly," he chuckled.

He and Klara would be living in a large cottage in Stowe after the wedding but until then, they would be living with Georg and Maria as their chaperones.

Xxx

Klara and Maria sat down at the table after all the children had gone to bed. "Wedding preparations!" Klara announced, setting a stack of papers down in front of her and Maria.

Maria swallowed. "Klara, thank you so much for doing a lot of this. You really don't have to go to any work for me. I am perfectly happy with a simple wedding."

"I know, but I want to talk to you about the flower arrangements and a few other matters, and, of course, your dress."

Maria nodded.

"So, for flowers, I was thinking lavender or roses, or—"

"Is there any way we could have Edelweiss?" Maria asked softly.

Klara thought for a minute. "I think I might be able to manage it. I'll get back to you on that."

"Now, the next matter is your dress. Could we go dress shopping tomorrow? I found a wonderful shop."

Maria nodded, pleased with her own thoughts of walking down the aisle in a white dress.

"There's another matter," Klara started off slowly.

"Hmm?" Maria asked.

"Well, Axel and I thought it would be a good idea to hold a party here."

Maria stiffened.

"Maria, it could be a means of introducing yourselves to the people of Stowe and it could be a wonderful celebration of your engagement to Georg."

Relaxing, Maria said, "It would. I don't know, though. I'll talk it over with Georg."

"Yes, yes, definitely. Back to the wedding, would you want it to be just the family and us, or would you like to invite many from around here?"

"Just the family and you and Axel, please," Maria declared.

Klara smiled. "Yes."

"I was thinking Gretl could be our flowergirl and I was going to ask if you and Liesl would be my attendants?" Maria asked shyly.

"Oh, Maria, of course!" Klara hugged her friend tightly. "I'm honored."

Maria breathed a sigh of relief she didn't know she was holding in.

Unable to keep from smiling, Klara kept talking. "I know that there is usually a reception after the ceremony, but would you like to have a special meal and celebration back home with all of us?"

"Oh, that sounds great. I don't care about the details of the meal or anything. Whatever you or the cook chooses I am sure will be just fine."

Talk of technical wedding details drifted into conversation about life in general and the two women talked animatedly into the night, getting to know each other even better.

Xxx

"Maria, I could talk for ages about how stunning you look in that dress," Klara said as the two women walked out of the wedding dress shop.

Holding a box with the dress, an elegant, long-sleeved simple white dress, inside, Maria's heart fluttered. "Thank you Klara. I am beyond lucky to have you as my friend."

Klara started to lead Maria down the street of shops, but Maria hesitated. "Wait, Klara, isn't Axel picking us up that way?"

"Why, yes, but we still have shopping to do," Klara replied.

Maria's forehead crinkled. "We do? But I have everything—"

"Except for your trousseau, silly," Klara laughed. "My what?" Maria asked.

"Oh, you'll see when we get there," Klara smirked.

They entered a women's clothing shop and went to the back. Maria saw the large array of lingerie and took a step back, her face reddening. "Klara, I don't…I…" She stopped to look at Klara, a look of mortification as well as uncertainty in her eyes.

Klara took the wedding dress box from Maria's hands. "Now, all we'll do is have a quick look around, and if you don't want to get anything, I'm certainly not going to force you! But you deserve something special like this, especially for your wedding night."

Maria blushed furiously.

Klara walked ahead of Maria. "Now, what color are you thinking? Red? Black?" She pointed out a few. Maria swallowed, trying to get past the scandalous items that she wasn't even sure would do their job of covering, well, anything, really. She was so accustomed to the plain white undergarments she had that she was so out of her comfort zone here.

Maria took a deep breath. She was still embarrassed, but underlying her embarrassment was a bit of excitement. Klara said, "Maria, you would look gorgeous with or without these items, but I do think you would like this one."

Maria turned to where Klara was standing, pointing at a set that was dark blue. Maria's heartbeat sped up. She had to admit that she liked it. The bottom was sheer but mostly covered with a blue floral pattern, and the garment went up to just above her waist. The top was the same except it wasn't sheer, it was made of lace.

Her heart dropped when she realized that Georg would see her in this. "Shall we purchase it, and we can always return it if you decide you don't like it?" Klara asked. Maria nodded gratefully.

Xxx

Klara stood at Maria's door after putting the shopping bags in her room.

"Maria, if you need anything, or want to talk about anything, or have any questions, please know that I am here and will always listen."

"Klara, you're too kind," Maria said.

Klara shook her head humbly and turned to leave the room.

Maria struggled with her thoughts for a bit and then blurted, "Wait! I, uh, I guess I do have some questions."

Klara turned back around and closed the door, surprised to see Maria looking agitated.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, I don't know! Nothing and everything! How can I be a mother to seven children? What if I can't please Georg? What if –" Maria cried.

Klara put her hands on Maria's shoulders. "Maria, you have no need to worry." She led her over to the edge of the bed where they sat.

"First of all, you basically have been their mother for these last months, and you've worked wonders. The children adore you, and you love them. Keep that in mind, and you will make a fine mother," Klara reassured her.

"Thank you, Klara."

"And about Georg – he will love you no matter what, I assure you. And, trust me, you'll be able to please him. Just you being in his arms will please him."

Maria smiled softly. Then she looked down, wringing her hands.

"What is it?" Klara asked.

"Well, uh…it's nothing, really! I mean, I don't know…"

"I'm not going to judge you or think differently of you for anything you say," Klara reminded her.

"Will it hurt? I'm so unsure but all I've heard from my younger years and before I became a postulant was that it was so painful, and if he wants it every night, will I be alright…" Maria trailed off, not looking Klara in the eye.

"Being with Georg?" Maria nodded.

Klara took a deep breath. "I can only tell you about my experience. I can't speak for other women. But I know that for me it was nothing short of euphoric."

Maria's cheeks turned pink and her heart pounded.

Klara continued, "The first time was just a little, um, uncomfortable, at first. But after just moments, Maria, all you'll feel is glorious. I have no doubt that Georg will make sure of that. Besides, it won't technically be your first." Klara's reference to their drug-induced night of passion made Maria feel a lot of things, and perhaps a bit better and more sure of herself.

"Will he expect it every night?" Maria asked, her fear having turned into curiosity.

Klara smiled. "He will never _expect_ it of you, but I imagine that you both would want it every night for the first bit of your marriage. After that, well, at least with Axel and I, we didn't every night, but we did frequently. I'm nearly positive that you and Georg will find great joy in each other."

Maria hugged Klara, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Klara stood to leave, and at the door she turned around. "Oh, I forgot: it doesn't have to happen at night, Maria."

With that, she winked and closed the door. Maria fell back on the bed, her heart racing wildly. It had been such a big day, and her feelings were overwhelming. Taking deep breaths, Maria slowly got up to change into her nightclothes and go to sleep. She dreamed of flowers and white dresses and candles and her dreams took a turn as she started dreaming of Georg's bedroom. She had seen it before – it was large with a huge four poster bed and beautiful windows. The next thing she knew she was underneath Georg, their legs intertwined, as he worshipped her body with his. Then they were in his study in mid-afternoon as he told her that the children were outside as he kissed her neck and began undressing her.

Waking up with a gasp, Maria realized she was in her own bed and it was almost time for her to be up and about. Clasping her hands together, she calmed down and said her morning prayers.

After breakfast, Georg caught Maria's hand. "What do you think about having a party here before the wedding?"

"I'm not too keen about it, to be honest," Maria admitted.

Georg nodded vigorously. "I agree. We don't need any big to-do. We will have plenty of time to go to parties after we're married. You and I are perfectly content with a small wedding and we could use this time to just be together and relax, not have to think about plans for a party."

Maria embraced him with love and gratitude. He whispered into her ear, "You have no idea how much I wished our wedding was today."

Maria shivered. "Me too, Georg, but we only have to wait eight more days."

He gently kissed her forehead and Maria went to join the children as Georg went to his study.

Xxx

Maria couldn't breathe properly. She was too excited and too nervous even to think normally. She looked at herself in the mirror, with her long white dress and veil. She looked…well, she looked like a bride. She took a deep breath to steady her shaking hands and Klara accompanied her out to the church where the children, Axel, and Georg were already waiting.

Standing in the back of the beautiful church, with candles and sunlight illuminating the space, and brown wood above and around them, Maria smiled at Gretl.

"I'm so happy," Gretl smiled.

"Oh, me too, darling, me too," Maria said, as Gretl turned to walk down the aisle and the music began to play.

Liesl followed with Klara. Liesl and Klara both turned around and gave Maria a quick hug before processing in.

Maria looked down at the bouquet of flowers she was holding and blinked back tears of joy. Klara had been able to get Edelweiss flowers, but there were only a few available, so those few were in Maria's hand as she processed down the aisle, and red roses decorated the corner of the altar.

Nearing the altar, Maria couldn't remember feeling this _happy_ in her entire life. For there stood Georg, standing proudly in his uniform next to Axel. Georg's expression made Maria feel as if she was an angel who came from heaven.

They joined hands at the altar and looked into each other's eyes with complete and utter adoration. They said their vows, and the priest pronounced them husband and wife. Maria laughed and Georg smiled widely. They were finally _married._


End file.
